THE NORWEGIAN POLAR EXPEDITION
1893-1896.
FARTHEST NORTH"
BY
DR. FRIDTJOF NANSEN
GOLD MEDALLIST, R.G.S.
Vol. II.
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2008 with funding from
IVIicrosoft Corporation
http://www.archive.org/details/farthestnorthbei02nansuoft
FRIDTJOF NANSEN'S
''FARTHEST NORTH"
BEING THE RECORD OF A
VOYAGE OF EXPLORATION OF
THE SHIF FJ^AM 1893-96 AND
OF A FIFTEEN MONTHS' SLEIGH
JOURNEY BY DR. NANSEN AND
LIEUT. JOHANSEN WITH AN
APPENDIX BY OTTO SVERDRUP
CAPTAIN OF THE FRAM
ABOUT ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY
FULL PAGE AND
NUMEROUS TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS
SLX'I^KKN f'OLOURKl) PLATKS
IN FACSIMILE FROM
DR. NANSEN'S OWN SKETCHES
ETCHED PORTRAIT
PHOTOGRAVURES
AND MAPS
Vol. II,
TJ^eetminefer
ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE AND COMPANY
2 WHITEHALL GARDENS
1897
LONDON
HARRISON AND SONS, ST. MARTIN's LANE,
PRINTERS IN ORDINARY TO HER MAJESTY.
CONTENTS
Page
CHAPTER T.
We Prepare for the Sledge Expedition . . ... i
CHAPTER II.
The New Year, 1895 35
CHAPTER III.
We Make a Start .... 72
CHAPTER IV.
We Say Good-bye to the Fra??i r.12
CHAPTER V.
A Hard Struggle 133
CHAPTER VI.
By Sledge and Kayak 204
CHAPTER VII.
Land at Last 276
CHAPTER VIII.
The New Year, 1896 . 392
CHAPTER IX.
The Journey Southwards 426
Vlll
REPORT OF CAPTAIN OTTO SVERDRUP.
Page
CHAPTER I.
March 15TH to June 22ND, 1895 • • • 5^9
CHAPTER n.
June 22ND to August 15TH, 1895 545
CHAPTER HI.
August 15TH, 1895, ^o January ist, 1896 558
CPTAPTER IV.
January ist to May 17TK, 1896 582
CHAPTER V.
The Third Summer 598
CONCLUSION. By FRIDTJOF NANSEN 631
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PLATES IN COLOURS.
Plate Facing Page
IX. Light Phenomena in the Polar Night ... 96
X. The Polar Night 120
XL Moon Ring with Mock Moons 160
XII. Moonlight Phenomena at the beginning of the Polar
Night 31 2
XIIL Streamers of the Aurora Borealis .... 384
XIV. Ice near the Fram . . . . . . .482
XV. Aurora Borealis . 57^
XVI. An Auroral Crown 60.0
FULL PAGE PLATES.
Facing Page
A Fight against the Storm. Photogravure By Otto Sindifig
Frontispiece
Hjalmar Johansen . From a Photography December^ 1893 2
I Addressed the Ship's Company. . By J. Nordhagen 8
Scott-Hansen's Observatory . . Fro7n a Photograph 1 4
Musical Entertainment . . . From a Photograph 30
Captain Sverdrup in his Cabin . . From a Photograph 42
The ivw/Mn Moonlight. Photogravure From a Photograph 54
The Fram after Ice-pressure . . From a Photograph 58
The Winter Night .... From a Photograph 60
A Whist Party in the Saloon . . From a Photograph 66
Upper End of Supper Table . . By J. Nordhagen 68
Lower End of Supper Table . . From a Photograph 70
The Crew after Second Winter, February, 1895
From a Photograph 74
The Fram in the Ice . . . . From a Photograph 82
Facing
The Start from the Fram^ March 14th From a Photograph
Our Last Camp before Parting from our Comrades
From a Photograph
Northwards through the Drift Snow
Over Difficult Pressure Mounds
Nothing but Ice, April 7th, 1895
Our Northernmost Camp
" Baro," the Runaway .
Page
12
Rest ....
Peculiar Ice Stratification
A Crack in the Ice
From a Photograph
. By H. Egidius
From a Photograph
By A. Eiebakke
. By Lars Jorde
. By H. Egidius
. By A. Eiebakke
By E. Werenskiold
. By Lars Jorde
From a Photograph
. By LL. Egidius
From a Photograph
From a Photograph
Channels in the Ice in Summer, June, 1895
From a Photograph
A Coign of Vantage .
Crossing a Crack in the Ice.
Channels in the Ice, June 24th, 1895
This Incessant Toil .
We Reach the Open Water .
Iceberg, North Side of Franz Josef Land
From a Photograph
Our First Camp on Bare Ground . From a Photograph
Walruses From a Photograph
Fight Against the Storm toReach the Land, August 29, 1895
By Otto Sinding
At our Winter Quarters
A Page from my Diary
Our Winter Hut ....
Johansen Sitting in the Sleeping-bag
Southwards, May, 1896. From a Photograph by A. Eiebakke
Over the Ice towards the Island, May 24th, 1896.
Glacier, Franz Josef Land . . . From a Photograph
Walruses From a Photograph
A Camp on the Coast of Franz Josef Land
From a Photograph
From a Photograph
From a Photograph
. By Lars Jorde
From a Photograph
116
134
138
140
142
148
152
156
180
212
218
250
256
284
292
304
306
342
368
376
400
416
426
428
430
432
436
Facing Page
A Sail with Sledges .... By A. Eiebakke 440
Meeting of Jackson and Nansen . , From a Photograph 462
Photograph by Mr. Jackson of Nansen at Cape Flora
From a Photograph 466
Photograph by Mr, Jackson of Johansen at Cape Flora
From a Photograph
Jackson at Cape Flora
Johansen in Jackson's Saloon
The Windward leaving Tromso .
Digging out the Fram.
The Fram when Dug out of the Pressure Mound
From a Photograph
Fitting the Hand-Sledges with Runners
View over the Drift Ice
Pressure Mound near the Fram
Ice-Smithy ....
The Procession 17th May, 1895
Channel astern of the Fram
Movable Meteorological Station on the Ice
Fj'om a Photograph
Observation with Sextant and Artificial Horizon
From a Photograph
Cleaning the Accumulators
Workshop on Deck ....
Pettersen and Blessing on a Hummock
Pettersen on Snowshoes
Members of the Expedition after their Return
Fro?n a Photograph
From a Photograph
From a Photograph
From a Photograph
From a Photograph
Froju a Photograph
From a Photograph
From a Photograph
F?'om a Photograph
From a Photograph
From a Photograph
From a Photograph
From a Photograph
From a Photograph
From a Photograph
468
474
494
512
522
524
526
530
536
540
542
546
550
554
562
568
586
596
630
ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT.
Page
All Hands on Deck .
A most Remarkable Moon .
Tailpiece to Chapter .
Sunday Afternoon on Board
The Cooking Apparatus
A Night Camp on the Journey North
I Went on Ahead on Snowshoes .
Over Tolerably Good Ground
Johansen Carving our Names on a Stock
We made Fairly Good Progress .
Repairing the Kayaks
A Curdled Sea ....
My Last Dog " Kaifas "
Johansen's Last Dog " Suggen " .
Tailpiece to Chapter .
Incredibly Slow Progress
" You must look Sharp " .
A Paddle along the Edge of the Ice
Sailing along the Coast
We Build our First Hut
In the Water lay Walruses .
I Photographed him and the Walrus
It Gazed Wickedly at Us .
Life in Our Hut
Johansen Fired through the Opening
Our Winter Lair
I Managed to Swing One Leg up
It Tried to Upset Me .
Franz Josef Land
Mr. Jackson's Station at Cape Flora
. By H. Egidius
48
. By F. Na risen
57
. By E. Werenskiold
71
. From a Photograph
85
From a Diagram
100
. By H. Egidius
130
. From a Photograph
141
By A, Eiebakke
145
ck of Drift-wood
By H. Egidius
154
. By H. Egidius
170
. By H. Egidius
208
. From a Photograph
224
From a Photograph
264
. From a Photograph
273
. From a Photograph
275
. By H. Egidius
281
. By H. Egidius
286
. From a Photograph
311
. From a Photograph
325
. By Lars Jorde
ZZl
From a Photograph
35^
. Fro7n a Photograph
358
. From a Photograph
36a
. By H. Egidius
394
. By H. Egidius
406
. From a Photograph
428
By A. Bloch
448
By H. Egidius
454
. From a Photograph
460
. From a Photograph
465
Xlll
Glacier, Franz Josef Land . . . From a
The Wounded Bear By
A Visitor ...... From a
Basaltic Rock ..... From a
A Strange Rock of Basalt . . . From a
Plant Fossils ..... Fro7n
Kittiwake on her Nest . . . From a
Basaltic Cliffs ..... From a
Mr. Jackson at Elmwood . . . From a
Cape Flora. Farewell to Franz Josef Land
From a
Arrival at Hammerfest . . . From a
Original Map of the Kaiser Franz* Josef Land
Tailpiece to Chapter .... From a
The Fram Before her Release . . Fro)ii a
A Laughing Photographer . . . From a
Photograph
Lars /or de
Photograph
Photog7'aph
Photograph
a Drawing
Photograph
Photograph
Photograph
Photograph
Photograph
Photograph
Photograph
Photograph
Page
469
471
472
478
483
486
489
491
493
500
509
5L3
544
606
630
MAPS.
{The Maps are bound in at the e7id of the Volume.)
Map showing the Route of the Frani, and Nansen's and Johansen's
Sledge Journey.
PreHminary Sketch Map of Franz Josef Land.
FARTHEST NORTH
VOLUME II.
CHAPTER I.
We Prepare for the Sledge Expedition.
Who are to be the two members of the expedition ?
Sverdrup and I have tested each other before at this sort
of work, and we could manage very well ; but we cannot
both leave the Frain ; that is perfectly clear without
further argument. One of us must remain behind to take
on himself the responsibility of bringing the others home
in safety ; but it is equally clear that one of us two must
conduct the sledge expedition, as it is we who have the
necessary experience. Sverdrup has a great desire to go;
but I cannot think otherwise than that there is more risk
in leaving the Fram than in remaining on board her.
Consequently, if I were to let him go, I should be
transferring to him the more dangerous task, while
keeping the easier one to myself. If he perished,
should I ever be able to forgive myself for letting him
go, even if it was at his own desire ? He is nine
VOL. II. B
2 Chapter I.
years older than I am ; I should certainly feel it to be a
very uncomfortable responsibility. And, as regards our
comrades, which of us would it be most to their interest to
keep on board ? I think they have confidence in both of
us, and I think either of us would be able to take them
home in safety, whether with or without the Fram. But
the ship is his especial charge, while on me rests the
conduct of the whole, and especially of the scientific
investigations ; so that I ought to undertake the task in
which important discoveries are to be made. Those who
remain with the ship will be able, as aforesaid, to carry
on the observations which are to be made on board. It
is my duty, therefore, to go, and his to remain behind.
He, too, thinks this reasonable.
I have chosen Johansen to be my companion, and he
is in all respects well qualified for that work. He is an
accomplished snow-shoer, and few can equal his powers
of endurance — a fine fellow, physically and mentally. I
have not yet asked him, but think of doing so soon, in
order that he may be prepared betimes. Blessing and
Hansen also would certainly be all eagerness to ac
company me ; but Hansen must remain behind to take
charge of the observations, and Blessing cannot desert
his post as doctor. Several of the others, too, would do
quite well, and would, I doubt not, be willing enough.
This expedition to the north, then, is provisionally
decided on. I shall see what the winter will bring us.
Light permitting, I should prefer to start in February.
I
HJALMAR JOHANSEN.
{From a photograph taken in December, 1893.)
We Prepare for the Sledge Expedition. 3
'' Sunday, November i8th. It seems as if I could not
properly realise the idea that I am really to set out, and
that in three months' time. Sometimes I delude myself
with charming dreams of my return home after toil and
victory, and then all is clear and bright. Then these are
succeeded by thoughts of the uncertainty and decep-
tiveness of the future and what may be lurking in it, and
my dreams fade away like the northern lights, pale and
colourless.
•' ' Ihr naht euch wieder, schwankende Gestalten.'
" Ugh ! These everlasting cold fits of doubt ! Before
every decisive resolution the dice of death must be
thrown. Is there too much to venture, and too little
to gain ? There is more to be gained, at all events,
than there is here. Then is it not my duty ? Besides,
there is only one to whom I am responsible, and
she ? I shall come back, I know it. I have
strength enough for the task. 'Be thou faithful unto
death, and thou shalt inherit the crown of life.'
" We are oddly constructed machines. At one
moment all resolution, at the next all doubt. . . To-day
our intellect, our science, all our ' Leben und Treiben '
seem but a pitiful Philistinism, not worth a pipe of
tobacco ; to-morrow we throw ourselves heart and soul
into these very researches, consumed with a burning
thirst to absorb everything into ourselves, longing to
spy out fresh paths, and fretting impatiendy at our
]5 2
4 Chapter I.
inability to solve the problem fully and completely.
Then down we sink again in disgust at the worthlessness
of it all.
*''As a grain of dust in the balance is the whole
world ; as a drop of morning dew that falls on the
ground.' If man has two souls, which then is the
right one ?
" It is nothing new to suffer from the fact that our
knowledge can be but fragmentary, that we can never
fathom what lies behind. But suppose, now, that we
could reckon it out, that the inmost secret of it all lay as
clear and plain to us as a rule-of-three sum, should we be
any the happier ? Possibly just the reverse. Is it not
in the struggle to attain knowledge that happiness con-
sists ? I am very ignorant, consequently the conditions
of happiness are mine.
'' Let me fill a soothing pipe and be happy.
" No, the pipe is not a success. Twist tobacco is not
delicate enough for airy dreams. Let me get a cigar.
Oh ! if one had a real Havanna !
''H'm! as if dissatisfaction, longing, suffering, were
not the very basis of life. Without privation there
would be no struggle, and without struggle no life — that
is as certain as that tw^o and two make four. And now
the struggle is to begin, it is looming yonder in the
north. Oh ! to drink delight of battle, in long, deep
draughts. Battle means life, and behind it victory
beckons us on.
We Prepare for the Sledge Expedition. 5
" I close my eyes. I hear a voice sinoino- to me :
" ' In amongst the fragrant birch,
In amongst the flowers' perfume,
Deep into the pinewood's church.' "
'' Monday, November 19th. Confounded affectation all
this Weltschmerz ; you have no right to be anything but
a happy man. And if you feel out of spirits, it ought to
cheer you up simply to go on deck and look at these
seven puppies that come frisking and springing about you,
and are ready to tear you to pieces in sheer enjoyment of
life. Life is sunshine to them, though the sun has long
since gone, and they live on deck beneath a tent, so
that they cannot even see the stars. There is ' Kvik,'
the mother of the family, among them, looking so plump
and contented as she wags her tail. Have you not as
much reason to be happy as they ? Yet they too have
their misfortunes. The afternoon of the day before
yesterday, as I was sitting at work, I heard the mill
going round and round, and Peter taking food to
the puppies, which as usual had a bit of a fight
over the meat pan ; and it struck me that the
axle of the mill, whirling unguarded on the deck, was
an extremely dangerous affair for them. Ten minutes
later I heard a dog howling, a more long-drawn, uncom-
fortable kind of howl than was usual when they were
fighting ; and at the same moment the mill slowed down.
I rushed out. There I saw a puppy right in the axle.
6 Chapter I.
whirlino- round with it and howling piteously, so that it
cut one to the soul. Bentzen was hanging on to the
brake rope, hauling at it with all his might and main ;
but still the mill went round. My first idea was to seize
an axe that was lying there to put the dog out of its
misery, its cries were so heartrending ; but on second
thoughts I hurried on to help Bentzen, and we got the
mill stopped. At the same moment Mogstad also came
up, and while we held the mill he managed to set the puppy
free. Apparently there was still some life in it, and he set
to work to rub it gently and coax it. The hair of its coat
had somehow or other got frozen on to the smooth steel
axle, and the poor beast had been swung round and
bumped on the deck at every revolution of the wheel.
At last it actually raised its head, and looked round in a
dazed way. It had made a good many revolutions, so
that it is no wonder if it found some difficulty in getting
its bearings at first. Then it raised itself on its fore-paws,
and I took it aft to the half-deck and stroked and patted
it. Soon it got on all four legs again, and began shamb-
ling about, without knowing where it was going.
" ' It is a good thing it was caught by the hair,' said
Bentzen, ' I thought it was hanging fast by its tongue, as
the other one did.' Only think of being fixed by the
tongue to a revolving axle — the mere notion makes
one shudder ! I took the poor thing down into
the saloon and did all I could for it. It soon
got all right again, and began playing with its
W^e Prepare for the Sledge Expedition. 7
companions as before. A strange life, to rummage
about on deck in the dark and cold ; but whenever one
goes up with a lantern they come tearing round, stare at
the light, and begin bounding and dancing and gam-
bolling with each other round it, like children round a
Christmas tree. This goes on day after clay, and they
have never seen anything else but this deck with a
tarpaulin over it, not even the clear blue sky ; and we
men have never seen anything other than this earth !
" The last step over the bridge of resolution has now
been taken. In the forenoon I explained the whole
matter to Johansen in pretty much the same
terms as I have used above ; and then I ex-
patiated on the difficulties that might occur, and
laid strong emphasis on the dangers one must be pre-
pared to encounter. It was a serious matter — a matter
of life or death — this one must not conceal from oneself
He must think the thing well over before determining
whether he would accompany me or not. If he was
willing to come I should be glad to have him with me ;
but I would rather, I said, he should take a day or two
to think it well over before he gave me his answer.
He did not need any time for reflection, he said ;
he was quite willing to go. Sverdrup had long ago
mentioned the possibility of such an expedition,
and he had thought it well over, and made up his mind
that if my choice should fall on him he w^ould take it
as a great favour to be permitted to accompany me.
8 Chapter I.
* I don't know whether you'll be satisfied with this
answer, or whether you would like me still to think it
over; but I should certainly never change my mind.'
* No, if you have already thought seriously about it —
thought what risks you expose yourself to — the chance.
for instance, that neither of us may ever see the face of
man again — and if you have reflected that even if we
get through safe and sound we must necessarily face
a great deal of hardship on an expedition like this —
if you have made up your mind to all this, I don't insist
on your reflecting any longer about it' 'Yes, that
I have.' 'Well, then, that is settled. To-morrow we
shall begin our preparations for the trip. Hansen must
see about appointing another meteorological assistant.' "
" Tuesday, November 20th. This evening I delivered
an address to the whole ship's company, in which I
announced the determination that had been arrived at,
and explained to them the projected expedition. First
of all I briefly went through the whole theory of our
undertaking, and its history from the beginning, laying-
stress on the idea on which my plans had been built up,
namely that a vessel which got frozen in north of Siberia
must drift across the Polar Sea and out into the Atlantic,
and must pass somewhere or other north of Franz Josef
Land, and between it and the Pole. The object of the
expedition was to accomplish this drift across the unknown
sea, and to pursue investigations there. I pointed out
to them that these investigations would be of equal
We Prepare for the Sledoe Expedition. 9
importance whether the expedition actually passed across
the Pole itself or at some distance from it. Judgin^^"
from our experiences hitherto, we could not entertain
any doubt that the expedition would solve the problem
it had set before it ; everythino- had up to the present
gone according to our anticipations, and it was to be
hoped and expected that this would continue to be
the case for the remainder of the voyage. We had,
therefore, every prospect of accomplishing the principal
part of our task ; but then the question arose whether
more could not be accomplished ; and thereupon I pro-
ceeded to explain, in much the same terms as I have
used above, how this might be effected by an expedition
northwards.
*' I had the impression that everyone was deeply
interested in the projected expedition, and that they
all thought it most desirable that it should be attempted.
The greatest objection, I think, they would have
urged against it, had they been asked, would have
been that they themselves could not take part in
it. I impressed on them, however, that while it was
unquestionably a fine thing to push on as far as
possible towards the north, it was no whit less
honourable an undertaking to bring the Frani safe
and sound right through the Polar Sea, and out on
the other side — or if not the Fram, at all events them-
selves, without any loss of life. This done, we might
say, without fear of contradiction, that it was w^ell done.
lo Chapter I.
I think they all saw the force of this and were satisfied.
So now the die is cast, and I must believe that this
expedition will really take place."
So we set about our preparations for it in downright
earnest. I have already mentioned that at the end of
the summer I had begun to make a kayak for a single
man, the frame of which was of bamboo carefully lashed
together. It was rather slow work, and took several
weeks, but it turned out both light and strong. When
completed the frame-work weighed i6 lbs. It was
afterwards covered with sail-cloth by Sverdrup and
Blessing, when the whole boat weighed 30 lbs. After
finishing this, I had entrusted Mogstad with the task
of building a similar one. Johansen and I now set to
w^ork to make a cover for it. These kayaks were
370 metres (12 feet) long, about 07 metre (28 inches)
wide in the middle, and one was 30 centims. (12 inches)
and the other 38 centims. (15 inches) deep. This is
considerably shorter and wider than an ordinary Eskim^o
kayak, and consequently these boats were not so light
to propel through the water. But as they were chiefly
intended for crossing over channels and open spaces in
the ice, and coasting along possible land, speed was not
of much importance. The great thing was that the
boats should be strong and light, and should be
able to carry, in addition to ourselves, provisions and
equipments for a considerable time. If we had made them
longer and narrower, besides being heavier they would
We Prepare for the Sledge Expedition. 1 1
have been more exposed to injury in the course of trans-
port over the uneven ice. As they were built, they
proved admirably adapted for our purpose. When we
loaded them with care, we could stow away in them pro-
visions and equipment for three months at least for
ourselves, besides a good deal of food for the dogs ; and
we could, moreover, carry a dog or two on the deck. In
other respects they were essentially like the Eskimo
kayaks, full decked, save for an aperture in the middle
for a man to sit in. This aperture was encircled by a
wooden ring, after the Eskimo fashion, over which we
could slip the lower part of our sealskin jackets, specially
adjusted for this purpose, so that the junction between
boat and cape was watertight. When these jackets were
drawn tight round the wrists and face the sea might
sweep right over us without a drop of water coming into
the kayak. We had to provide ourselves with such boats
in case of having to cross open stretches of sea on our way
to Spitzbergen, or, if we chose the other route, between
PVanz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya. Besides this
aperture in the middle, there were small trap-doors fore
and aft in the deck, to enable us to put our hands in and
stow the provisions, and also get things out more readily,
without having to take out all the freight through the
middle aperture, in case what we wanted lay at either
extremity. These trap-doors, however, could be closed
so as to be quite watertight. To make the canvas
quite impervious to water the best plan would have
12 Chapter I.
been to have sized it, and then painted it externally
with ordinary oil paint ; but on the one hand it was
very difficult to do this work in the extreme cold (in the
hold the temperature was — 20" C. (— 4^ F.) ), and on the
other hand I was afraid the paint mig-ht render the
canvas too hard and brittle, and apt to have holes
knocked in it during- transport over the ice. Therefore 1
preferred to steep it in a mixture of paraffin and tallow,
which added somewhat to the weight of the kayaks, so
so that altogether they came to weigh about 36 lbs. apiece.
I had, moreover, some hand sledges made especially
for this expedition ; they were supple and strong,
designed to withstand the severe tests to which an
expedition with dogs and heavy freights over the
uneven drift-ice would necessarily expose them.
Two of these sledges were about the same
length as the kayaks, that is, 12 feet. I also made
several experiments with respect to the clothes we
should wear, and was especially anxious to ascertain
whether it would do to go in our thick wolf-skin
garments, but always came to the conclusion that they
were too warm. Thus, on November 29th, I write :
'' Took another walk northwards in my wolf-skin dress ;
but it is still too mild, — 35*2'^ F. (— 37-6° C). I sweated
like a horse, though I went fasting, and quite gently.
It is rather heavy going now in the dark, when one
cannot use snow-shoes. I wonder w4ien it will be cold
enough to use this dress."
We Prepare for the Sledoe Expedition. 13
On December Qtli again, we went out on snow-shoes.
"It was — 41° C. (—41-8° F.). Went in wolf-skin
dress, but the perspiration poured down our backs,
enough to turn a mill. Too warm yet ; goodness
knows if it ever will be cold enough."
Of course, we made some experiments with the tent
and with the cooking apparatus. On December 7th I
write : "I pitched the silk tent we are going to take,
and used our cooking apparatus in it. From repeated
trials it appeared that from ice of —2>s'' C. ( — 31° F.) we
boiled 3 litres of water (5^- pints), and at the same time
melted 5 litres (8£- pints), in an hour and a half, with
a consumption of about 120 grammes of snowflake
petroleum. Next day we boiled 2^ litres of water
(over 4 pints), and melted 2^ litres, in one hour, with
100 grammes of snowtlake petroleum. Yesterday we
made about 2 litres of excellent oatmeal porridge, and
at the same time got some half melted ice and a little
water in little over half-an-hour, with 50 grammes of
snowflake petroleum. Thus there will be no very great
consumption of fuel in the day."
Then I made all kinds of calculations and compu-
tations in order to find out what would be the most
advantageous kind of provisions for our expedition,
it being of the greatest moment that the food both
for dogs and men should be nutritious, and yet should
not weigh more than was absolutely necessary". Later
on, in the list of our equipments, I shall give the final
14 Chapter I.
result of my deliberations on this matter. Besides all
this, we had of course to consider and test the instruments
to be taken with us, and to go into many other matters,
which, though perhaps trifles in themselves, were yet
absolutely necessary. It is on the felicitous combination
of all these trifles, that ultimate success depends.
We two passed the greater portion of our time in
these preparations, which also kept many of the others
pretty busy during the winter. Mogstad, for instance,
found steady employment in making sledges and fitting
them with runners, etc. Sverdrup busied himself in
making sleeping-bags and many other things. Juell was
appointed dog-tailor, and when he was not busy in the
galley, his time was devoted to taking the measurements
of the dogs, making harness for them and testing it.
Blessing too, fitted up for us a small, light medicine chest,
containing selected drugs, bandages and such other
things as might be of use. One man was constantly
employed in copying out all our journals and scientific
observations, etc., etc., on thin paper, in a con-
tracted form, as I wanted, by way of making doubly
sure of their preservation, to take a copy of them
along with me. Hansen was occupied in preparing
tabular forms necessary for our observations, curves of
the movement of our chronometers, and other such
things. Besides this, he was to make a complete chart
of our voyage and drifting up to the present time.
I could not, however, make too orreat a claim on his
We Prepare for the Sledge Expedition. 15
valuable time, as it was necessary that he should continue
his scientific observations without interruption. During
this autumn he had greatly increased the comfort of his
work, by building, along with Johansen, an observation-
hut of snow% not unlike an Eskimo cabin. He found
himself very much at his ease in it, with a petroleum
lamp hanging from the roof, the light of which, being
reflected by the white snow walls made quite a brilliant
show. Here he could manipulate his instruments
quietly and comfortably, undisturbed by the biting wind
outside. He thought it quite warm there, too, when
he could get the temperature up to something like id^
below freezing-point, so that he was able without much
inconvenience to adjust his instruments with bare hands.
Here he worked away indefatigably at his observations
day after day, watching the often mysterious move-
ments of the magnetic needle, which would sometimes
give him no end of trouble. One day — it was November
24th — he came in to supper a little after 6 o'clock, quite
alarmed, and said, '' There has just been a singular inclina-
tion of the needle to 24°, and, remarkably enough, its
northern extremity pointed to the east. I cannot remember
ever having heard of such an inclination." He also had
several others of about 1 5°. At the same time, through
the opening into his observatory, he noticed that it was
unusually light out of doors, and that not only the ship
but the ice in the distance was as plainly visible as if
it had been full moonlight. No aurora, however, could be
1 6 Chapter I.
discerned through the thick clouds that covered the sky.
It would appear, then, that this unusual inclination was
in some way connected with the northern lights, though
it was to the east and not to the west as usual. There
could be no question of any movement of the floe on which
we were lying ; for everything had been perfectly still
and quiet, and it is inconceivable that a disturbance
which could cause such a remarkable oscillation of two
points and back again in so short a space of time should
not have been noticed and heard on board. This
theory, therefore, is entirely excluded, and the whole
matter seems to me, for the present, to be incompre-
hensible. Blessing and I at once went on deck to look
at the sky. Certainly it was so light that we could see
the lanes in the ice astern quite plainly ; but there was
nothing remarkable in that, it happened often enough.
*' Friday, November 30th. I found a bear's track on
the ice in front of our bow. The bear had come from
the east, trotting very gently along the lane, on the
newly frozen ice, but he must have been scared by some-
thing or other ahead of the vessel, as he had gone off
again with long strides in the direction from which he
had come. Strange that living creatures should be
roaming about in this desert. What can they have to
do here ? If only one had such a stomach, one could at
least stand a journey to the Pole and back without a
meal. We shall probably have him back again soon,
that is if I understand his nature arii^ht, and then
We Prepare for the Sledge Expedition. 17
perhaps he will come a little closer so that we may have
a good look at him."^
" I paced the lane in front of the port bow. It was
348 paces across and maintained the same width for a
considerable distance eastward, nor can it be much
narrower for a great distance to the west. Now, when
one bears in mind that the lane behind us is also of
considerable width, it is rather consoling, after all, to
think that the ice does permit of such large openings
There must be room enough to drift, if we only get
wind — wind which will never come. On the whole,
November has been an uncommonly wretched month.
Driven back instead of forward — and yet this month was
so good last year. But one can never rely on the
seasons in this dreadful sea ; taking all in all, perhaps,
the winter will not be a bit better than the summer.
Yet, it surely must improve — I cannot believe otherwise.
'' The skies are clouded with a thick veil, through which
the stars barely glisten. It is darker than usual ; and
in this eternal night we drift about, lonely and forsaken.
'For the whole world was filled with a shining light and
undisturbed activity. Above those men alone brooded
nought but depressing night — an image of that gloom
which was soon to swallow them up.'
'*This dark, deep, silent void is like the mysterious
unfathomable well, into which you look for that
* He did not return after all.
VOL. II. C
1 8 Chapter I.
something which you think must be there, only to meet
the reflection of your own eyes. Ugh ! the worn-out
thoughts you can never get rid of, become in the end
very wearisome company. Is there no means of fleeing
from oneself, to grasp one single thought, only a single
one, which lies outside oneself — is there no way except
death ? But death is certain ; one day it will come,
silent and majestic, it will open Nirvana's mighty portal,
and we shall be swept away into the sea of eternity."
" Sunday, December 2nd. Sverdrup has now been
ill for some days ; during the last day or two he has
been laid up in his berth, and is still there. I trust it
is nothing serious ; he himself thinks nothing of it,
nevertheless it is very disquieting. Poor fellow, he
lives entirely on oatmeal gruel. It is an intestinal
catarrh, which he probably contracted through catching
cold on the ice. I am afraid he has been rather careless
in this respect. However, he is now improving, so that
probably it will soon pass off; but it is a warning not
to be over-confident. I went for a long walk this
morning along the lane ; it is quite a large one, extend-
ing a good way to the east, and being of considerable
breadth at some points. It is only after walking for a
while on the newly frozen ice, where walking is as easy
and comfortable as on a well-trodden path, and then
coming up to the snow^-covered surface of the old ice
again, that one thoroughly appreciates for the first
time what it means to go without snow-shoes ; the
I
We Prepare for the Sledge Expedition. 19
difference is something marvellous. Even if I have not
felt warm before, I break out into a perspiration after
going a short distance over the rough ice. But what
can one do .'^ One cannot use snow-shoes ; it is so dark
that it is difficult enough to grope one's way about with
ordinary boots, and even then one stumbles about, or
slips down between great blocks of ice.
" I am now reading the various English stories of the
polar expeditions during the Franklin period, and the
search for him, and I must admit I am filled with
admiration for these men and the amount of labour they
expended. The English nation, truly, has cause to be
proud of them. I remember reading these stories as
a lad, and all my boyish fancies were strangely thrilled
with longing for the scenery and the scenes which were
displayed before me. I am reading them now as a man,
after having had a litde experience myself, and now,
when my mind is uninfluenced by romance, I bow in
admiration. There was grit in men like Parry, Franklin.
James Ross, Richardson, and last, but not least, in
M'Clintock — and, indeed, in all the rest. How well was
their equipment thought out and arranged, with the
means they had at their disposal. Truly, there is
nothing new under the sun. Most of what I prided
myself upon, and what I thought to be new, I find they
had anticipated. M'Clintock used the same thing forty
years ago. It was not their fault that they were born in
a country where the use of snow-shoes is unknown, and
c 2
20 Chapter I.
where snow is scarcely to be fouiul throughout the
whole winter. Nevertheless, despite the fact that they
had to gain their experience of snow and snow travel
during their sojourn up here — despite the fact that they
were without snow-shoes and had to toil on as best they
could with sledges with narrow runners over uneven
snow-covered drift-ice — what distances did they not
cover, what fatigues and trials did they not endure !
No one has surpassed, and scarcely anyone approached
them, unless, perhaps, the Russians on the Siberian
coast ; but then they have the great advantage of being
natives of a country where snow is not uncommon."
*' Friday, December 14th. Yesterday we held a great
festivity in honour of the Fram as being the vessel which
has attained the highest latitude (the day before yester-
day we reached 82° 30' N. lat.).
'* The bill of fare at dinner was boiled mackerel, with
parsley-butter sauce ; pork cutlets and French peas ;
Norwegian wild strawberries, with rice and milk ; crown
malt extract ; afterwards coffee. For supper :— New-
bread and currant cake, etc., etc. Later in the evening,
a grand concert. Sweets and preserved pears were
handed round. The culminating point of the entertain-
ment was reached when a steaming hot and fragrant
bowl of cherry-punch was carried in and served round
among general hilarity. Our spirits were already very
high, but this gave colour to the whole proceedings.
The greatest puzzle to most of them was where the
We Prepare for the Sledge Expedition. 21
ingredients for the punch, and more particularly the
alcohol, had come from.^
" Then followed the toasts. First, a long and festive
one to ' The Frani,' which had now shown what she was
capable of It ran somewhat to this effect: 'There
were many wise men who shook their heads when we
started, and sent us ominous farewell greetings. But
their head-shakings would have been less vigorous, and
their evil forebodings milder, if they could have seen us
at this moment, drifting quietly and at our ease across
the most northerly latitudes ever attained by any
vessel, and still further northward. And the Fram
is now not only the most northerly vessel on the globe,
but has already passed over a large expanse of hitherto
unknown regions, many degrees further north than have
ever been reached in this ocean on this side of the
Pole. But we hope she will not stop here ; concealed
behind the mist of the future there are many triumphs in
store for us, triumphs which will dawn upon us one by
one when their time has come. But we will not speak of
this now, we will be content with what has actually been
achieved ; and I believe that the promise implied in
Bjornson's greeting to us and to the Fi^am when she
was launched, has already been fulfilled, and with him
we can exclaim : —
We had used for this purpose our pure grape-spirit.
22 Chapter I.
" Hurrali for the ship and her voyage dread !
Where never before a keel has sped,
Where never before a name was spoken,
By Norway's name is the silence broken."
*' * We could not help a peculiar feeling, almost akin
to shame, when comparing the toil and privation, and
frequently incredible sufferings, undergone by our
predecessors in earlier expeditions, with the easy
manner in which we are drifting across unknown
expanses of our globe, larger than it has been the lot of
most, if not all, of the former polar explorers to travel
over at a stretch. Yes, truly, I think we have every
reason to be satisfied with our voyage so far, and with the
Franiy and I trust we shall be able to bring something
back to Norway in return for the trust, the sympathy and
the money which she has expended on us. But let us
not on this account forget our predecessors ; let us admire
them for the way in which they struggled and endured,
let us remember that it is only through their labours and
achievements that the way has been prepared for the
present voyage. It is thanks to their collective experi-
ence, that mankind has now got so far as to be able to
cope, to some extent, with what has hitherto been his most
dangerous and obstinate enemy in the Arctic regions,
viz., the drift-ice, and to do so by the very simple
expedient of going with it, and not against it, and
allowing oneself to be hemmed in by it, not in-
voluntarily but intentionally, and preparing for it
We Prepare for the Sledge Expedition. 23
beforehand. On board this vessel we try to cull the
fruits of all our predecessors' experiences ; it has taken
years to collect them ; but I felt that with these I should
be enabled to face any vicissitude of fate in unknown
waters. I think we have been fortunate. I think
we are all of the opinion that there is no imaginable
difficulty or obstacle before us that we ought not to
be able to overcome with the means and resources we
possess on board, and be thus enabled to return at last
to Norway safe and sound, with a rich harvest. There-
fore let us drink a bumper to the Fra7n ! '
*' Next there followed some musical items and a per-
formance by Lars the smith, who danced dipas seul to the
great amusement of the company. Lars assured us that if
he ever reached home again and were present at a gather-
ing similar to those held at Christiania and Bergen on our
departure, his legs should be taxed to their uttermost.
This was followed by a toast to those at home who were
waiting for us year after year, not knowing where to
picture us in thought, who were vainly yearning for
tidings of us, but whose faith in us and our voyage
was still firm — to those who consented to our departure
and who may well be said to have made the greatest
sacrifice.
" The festivity continued with music and merriment
throughout the evening, and our good humour was
certainly not spoilt when our excellent doctor came
forward with cigars, a commodity which is getting
24 Chapter I.
highly valued up here, as unfortunately it is becoming
very scarce. The only cloud in our existence is that
Sverdrup has not yet quite recovered from his catarrh.
He must keep strict diet, and this does not at all suit
him, poor fellow ; he is only allowed wheaten bread,
milk, raw bear's flesh, and oatmeal porridge, whereas if
he had his own way he would eat everything, including
cake, preserves, and fruit. But he has returned to duty
now, and has already been out for a turn on the ice.
'* It was late at night when I retired to my cabin, but
I was not yet in a fit mood to go to sleep. I felt I must
go out and saunter in the wonderful moonlight. Around
the moon there was, as usual, a large ring, and above it
there was an arc which just touched it at the upper
edge, but the two ends of which curved downwards
instead of upwards. It looked as if it were part of a
circle whose centre was situated far below the moon. At
the lower edge of the ring there was a large mock moon,
or rather a large luminous patch, which was most pro-
nounced at the upper part where it touched the ring>
and had a yellow upper edge from which it spread down-
wards in the form of a triangle. It looked as if it might
be an arc of a circle on the lower side of, and in contact
with the ring. Right across the moon there were drift-
ing several luminous cirrhus streaks. The whole pro-
duced a fantastic effect."
''Saturday, December 22nd. The same south-easterly
wind has turned into a regular storm, howling and rattling
We Prepare for the Sledge Expedition. 25
cheerily through the rigging, and we are doubtless drifting
northwards at a good rate. If I go outside the tent on
deck, the wind w^histles round my ears, and the snow
beats into my face, and I am soon covered with it.
From the snow^-hut observatory, or even at a lesser
distance, the FTam is invisible, and it is almost
impossible to keep one's eyes open, owing to the
blinding snow. I wonder whether we have not passed
'^'^'^. But I am afraid this joy will not be a lasting-
one, the barometer has fallen alarmingly, and the wind has
generally been up to 13 or 14 metres (44 or 50 feet) per
second. About half-past twelve last night the vessel
suddenly received a strong pressure, rattling everything
on board. I could feel the vibration under me for a
long time afterwards while lying in my berth. Finally,
I could hear the roaring and grating caused by the
ice pressure. I told the watch to listen carefully, and
ascertain where the pressure was, and to notice whether
the floe on which we were lying was likely to crack,
and whether any part of our equipment was in clanger.
He thought he could hear the noise of ice pressure
both forward and aft, but it was not easy to dis-
tinguish it from the roar of the tempest in the rigging.
To-day about 12.30 at noon the Fra?u received another
violent shock, even stronger than that we had experi-
enced during the night. There was another shake a
little later ; I suppose there has been a pressure aft, but
could hear nothing for the storm. It is odd about this
26 Chapter I.
pressure ; one would think that the wind was the
primary cause ; but it recurs pretty regularly, notwith-
standing the fact that the spring-tide has not yet set in ;
indeed, when it commenced a few days ago it was
almost a neap-tide. In addition to the pressure of
yesterday and last night, we had pressure on Thursday
morning at half-past nine, and again at half-past eleven.
It was so strong that Peter, who was at the sounding-
hole, jumped up repeatedly, thinking that the ice would
burst underneath him. It is very singular, we have been
quiet for so long now that we feel almost nervous when
the Fram receives these shocks ; everything seems to
tremble as if in a violent earthquake."
"Sunday, December 23rd. Wind still unchanged, and
blowing equally fresh, up to 13 or 14 metres (44 or
47 feet). The snow is drifting and sweeping so that
nothing can be distinguished ; the darkness is intense.
Abaft on the deck, there are deep mounds of snow
lying round the wheel and the rails, so that when we
go up on deck we get a genuine sample of an Arctic
winter. The outlook is enough to make you shudder,
and feel grateful that instead of having to turn out in
such weather, you may dive back again into the tent, and
down the companionway into your warm bunk ; but soon,
no doubt, Johansen and I will have to face it out, day
and night, even in such weather as this, whether we like
It or not. This morning, Pettersen, who has had charge
of the dogs this week, came down to the saloon and
We Prepare for the Sledge Expedition. 27
asked whether someone would come out with him on
the ice with a rifle, as he was sure there was a bear.
Peter and I went, but we could not find anything.
The dogs left off barking when we arrived on the
scene, and commenced to. play with each other. But
Pettersen was right in saying that it was 'horrid
weather,' it was almost enough to take away ones
breath to face the wind, and the drifting snow forced
its way into the mouth and nostrils. The vessel
could not be distinguished beyond a few paces, so that it
was not advisable to go any distance away from her, and
it was very difficult to walk, for what with snow-drifts
and ice-mounds at one moment you stumbled against the
frozen edge of a snow-drift, at another you tumbled into
a hole. It was pitch dark all round. The barometer had
been falling steadily and rapidly, but at last it has com-
menced to rise slightly. It now registers about 726 mm.
(28*6 inches). The thermometer, as usual, is describing
the inverse curve. In the afternoon it rose steadily until
it registered — 2 1 -3° C. ( — 6° F.). Now it appears to be
falling again a litde, but the wind still keeps exacdy in the
same quarter. It has surely shifted us by now a good
way to the north, well beyond the 83rd degree. It is
quite pleasant to hear the wind whistling and ratding
in the rigging overhead. Alas ! we know that all
terrestrial bliss is short-lived.
" About midnight the mate, who has the watch, comes
down and reports that the ice has cracked just beyond
28 Chapter I.
the thermometer house, between it and the sounding
hole. This is the same crack that we had in the
summer, and it lias now burst open again, and probably
the whole floe in which we are lying is split from the
lane ahead to the lane astern of us. The thermograph
and other instruments are being brought on board,
so that we may run no risk of losing them in the event
of pressure of ice. But otherwise there is scarcely
anything that could be endangered. The sounding
apparatus is at some distance from the open channel, on
the other side. The only thing left there is the shears
with the iron block standingf over the hole."
" Thursday, December 27th. Christmas has come
round again, and we are still so far from home. How
dismal it all is ! Nevertheless I am not melancholy.
I might rather say I am glad ; I feel as if awaiting
something great which lies hidden in the future. After
long hours of uncertainty I can now^ discern the end
of this dark night ; I have no doubt all will turn out
successfully, that the voyage is not in vain and the
time not wasted, and that our hopes will be realised.
An explorer's lot is, perhaps, hard and his life full of
disappointments, as they all say ; but it is also full of
beautiful moments, moments when he beholds the
triumphs of human faith and human will, when he
catches sight of the haven of success and peace.
" I am in a singular frame of mind just now, in a
state of sheer unrest. I have not felt inclined for
We Prepare for the Sledge Expedition. 29
writing during the last few days ; thoughts come and
go, and carry me irresistibly ahead. I can scarcely
make myself out ; but who can fathom the depths of
the human mind ? The brain is a puzzling piece of
mechanism : ' We are such stuff as dreams are made
of Is it so ? I almost believe it — a microcosm of
eternity's infinite * stuff that dreams are made of.'
'' This is the second Christmas spent far away in the
solitude of night, in the realm of death, farther north
and deeper into the midst of it than any one has been
before. There is something strange in the feeling ; and
then this, too, is our last Christmas on board the Fram,
It makes one almost sad to think of it. The vessel is
like a second home, and has become dear to us. Perhaps
our comrades may spend another Christmas here,
possibly several, without us who will go forth from
them into the midst of the solitude. This Christmas
passed off quietly and pleasantly, and everyone seems
to be well content. By no means the least circumstance
that added to our enjoyment was that the wind brought
us the 83rd degree as a Christmas box. Our luck was,
this time, more lasting than I had anticipated ; the wind
continued fresh on Monday and Tuesday, but little by
little it lulled down and veered round to the north and
north-east. Yesterday and to-day it has been in the
north-west. Well, we must put up with it ; one cannot
help having a little contrary wind at times, and probably
it will not last long.
30 Chapter I.
" Christmas Eve was, of course, celebrated with great
feasting. The table presented a truly imposing array of
Christmas confectionery : * Poor man's ' pastry, ' Stag-
horn ' pastry, honey-cakes, macaroons, ' Sister ' cake, and
what not, besides sweets, and the like ; many may have
fared worse. Moreover, Blessing and I had worked
during the day in the sweat of our brow and produced a
' Polar Champagne 83rd Degree,' which made a sensation,
and which we two, at least, believed we had every
reason to be proud of, being a product derived from the
noble grape of the polar regions, viz., the cloudberry
(nitilter). The others seemed to enjoy it too, and, of
course, many toasts were drunk in this noble beverage.
Quantities of illustrated books were then brought forth ;
there was music, and stories, and songs, and general
merriment.
'' On Christmas Day, of course, we had a special
dinner. After dinner coffee and Curasao made here on
board, and Nordahl then came forward with Russian
cigarettes. At night a bowl of cloudberry punch was
served out, which did not seem by any means un-
welcome. : Mogstad played the violin, and Pettersen
was electrified thereby to such a degree that he sang
and danced to us. He really exhibits considerable
talent- as a comedian, and has a decided bent towards
the ballet. It is astonishing what versatility he dis-
plays: engineer, blacksmith, tinsmith, cook, master of
ceremonies, comedian, dancer, and, last of all, he has
We Prepare for the Sledge Expedition. 31
come out in the capacity of a first-class barber and hair-
dresser. There was a grand ' ball ' at night ; Mogstad
had to play till the perspiration poured from him ;
Hansen and I had to figure as ladies. Pettersen was
indefatigable. He faithfully and solemnly vowed that if
he has a pair of boots to his feet when he gets home he
will dance as long as the soles hold together.
"Day after day, as we progressed with a rattling
wind, first from S.E., and later on E.S.E. and E., we
felt more anxious to know how far we had got, but there
had always been a snowstorm or a cloudy sky, so that
we could not make any observations. We were all
confident that we must have got a long way up north,
but how far beyond the 83rd degree no one could tell.
Suddenly Hansen was called on deck this afternoon by
the news that the stars were visible overhead. All were
on the tip-toe of expectation. But when he came down
he had only observed one star, which, however, was so
near the meridian that he could calculate that, at any
rate, w^e were north of 83° 20' N. lat., and this com-
munication was received with shouts of joy. If we were
not yet in the most northerly latitude ever reached by
man, we were, at all events, not far from it. This was
more than we had expected, and we were in high spirits.
Yesterday, being ' the Second Christmas Day,' of course,
both on this account and because it was Juell's birthday,
we had a special dinner, with oxtail soup, pork cutlets, red
whortleberry preserve, cauliflowers, fricandeau, potatoes,
32 Chapter I.
preserved currants, also pastry and a wonderful iced
almond cake, with the words * Glaedelig Jul' (A Merry
Christmas) on it, from Hansen, baker, Christiania, and
then malt-extract. We cannot complain that we are
faring badly here. About 4 o'clock this morning the
vessel received a violent shock which made everything
tremble, but no noise of ice-packing was to be heard.
At about half-past five I heard, at intervals, the crackling
and crunching of the pack-ice which was surging in the
land ahead. At night similar noises were also heard ;
otherwise the ice was quiet, and the crack on the port-
side has closed up tight again."
'' Friday, December 28th. I went out in the morning
to have a look at the crack on the port-side, which has
now widened out so as to form an open lane. Of
course, all the dogs follow^ed me, and I had not got
far when I saw a dark form disappear. This was ' Pan,'
who rolled down the high steep edge of the ice and
fell into the water. In vain he struggled to get out
again ; all around him there was nothing but snow
slush which afforded no foot-hold. I could scarcely
hear a sound of him, only just a faint whining now
and then. I leant down over the edge in order to
get near him, but it was too high, and I very nearly
went after him head-first ; all that I could get hold of
was loose fragments of ice and lumps of snow. I
called for a seal-hook, but before it was brought to me
' Pan ' had scrambled out himself, and was leaping to
We Prepare for the Sledge Expedition. 33
and fro on the floe with all his might to keep himself
warm, followed by the other dogs who loudly barked
and gambolled about with him, as though they wished
to demonstrate their joy at his rescue. When he fell
in they all rushed forward, looking at me and whining ;
they evidently felt sorry for him and wished me to
help him. They said nothing, but just ran up and
down along the edge until he got out. At another
moment, perhaps, they may all unite in tearing him to
pieces ; such is canine and human nature. ' Pan ' was
allowed to dry himself in the saloon all the afternoon.
" A little before half-past nine to-night the vessel
received a tremendous shock. I went out, but no noise
of ice-packing could be heard. However, the wind
howled so in the rigging that it was not easy to
distinguish any other sound. At half-past ten another
shock followed ; later on, from time to time, vibrations
were felt in the vessel, and towards half-past eleven the
shocks became stronger. It was clear that the ice was
packing at some place or other about us, and I was just
on the point of going out when Mogstad came to
announce that there was a very ugly pressure-ridge ahead.
We went out with lanterns. Fifty-six paces from the
bow there extended a perpendicular ridge stretching*
along the course of the lane, and there was a terrible
pressure going on at the moment. It roared and
crunched and crackled all along ; then it abated a little
and recurred at intervals, as though in a regular rhythm ;
VOL. II. D
34 Chapter 1.
finally it passed over into a continuous roar. It seemed
to be mostly newly-frozen ice from the channels which had
formed this ridge ; but there were also some ponderous
blocks of ice to be seen among it. It pressed slowly but
surely forward towards the vessel ; the ice had given way
before it to a considerable distance and was still being
borne down little by little. The floe around us has cracked,
so that the block of ice in which the vessel is embedded is
smaller than it was. I should not like to have that pressure-
ridge come in right under the nose of the Fram, as it might
soon do some damage. Although there is hardly any
prospect of its getting so far, nevertheless I have given
orders to the watch to keep a sharp look out, and if it
comes very near, or if the ice should crack under us, he
is to call me. Probably the pressure will soon abate,
as it has now kept up for several hours. At this moment
(12-45 a.m.) there have just been some violent shocks,
and above the howling of the wind in the rigging I can
hear the roar of the ice-pressure as I lie in my berth."
CHAPTER II.
The New Year, 1895.
"Wednesday, January 2nd, 1895. Never before have
I had such strange feelings at the commencement of the
New Year. It cannot fall to bring some momentous
events, and will possibly become one of the most remark-
able years in my life, whether it leads me to success or to
destruction. Years come and go unnoticed in this world
of ice, and we have no more knowledge here of what
these years have brought to humanity, than we know of
what the future ones have in store. In this silent nature
no events ever happen ; all is shrouded in darkness ;
there is nothing in view save the twinkling stars, immea-
surably far away in the freezing night, and the flickering
sheen of the aurora borealis. I can just discern close
by the vague outline of the Fram, dimly standing out in
the desolate gloom, with her rigging showing dark against
the host of stars. Like an infinitesimal speck, the vessel
seems lost amidst the boundless expanse of this realm
of death. Nevertheless under her deck there is a snug
and cherished home for thirteen men, undaunted by the
D 2
J
6 . Chapter II.
majesty of this reahn. In there, life is freely pulsating,
while far away outside in the night there is nothing save
death and silence, only broken now and then, at long inter-
vals, by the violent pressure of the ice as it surges along in
gigantic masses. It sounds most ominous in the great
stillness, and one cannot help an uncanny feeling as if
supernatural powers were at hand, the Jotuns and
Rimturser (frost-giants) of the Arctic regions, with whom
we may have to engage in deadly combat at any
moment ; but we are not afraid of them.
"I often think of Shakespeare's Viola who sat 'like
patience on a monument.' Could we not pass as
representatives of this marble patience, imprisoned here
on the ice while the years roll by, awaiting our time ?
I should like to design such a monument. It should be
a lonely man in shaggy wolf-skin clothing, all covered
with hoar-frost, sitting on a mound of ice, and gazing out
into the darkness across these boundless, ponderous
masses of ice, awaiting the return of daylight and spring.
''The ice-pressure was not noticeable after i o'clock on
Friday night, until it suddenly recommenced last night.
First I heard a rumbling outside, and some snow fell
down from the rigging upon the tent roof as I sat reading ;
I thought it sounded like packing in the ice, and just
then the Fra7n received a violent shock such as she had
not received since last winter. I was rocked backwards
and forwards on the chest on which I was sitting.
Finding that the trembling and rumbling continued, I
The New Year, 1895. 37
went out. There was a loud roar of ice packing to the
west and north-west, w^hich continued uniformly for a
couple of hours or so. Is this the New Year's greeting
from the ice ?
"We spent New Year's Eve cosily, with a cloudberry
punch bowl, pipes, and cigarettes ; needless to say, there
was an abundance of cakes and the like, and we spoke
of the Old and the New Year, and days to come. Some
selections were played on the organ and violin. Thus
midnight arrived. Blessing produced from his apparently
inexhaustible store a bottle of genuine ' linje akkevit '
(Line eau de vie), and in this Norwegian liquor we drank
the Old Year out and the New Year in. Of course there
was many a thought that would obtrude itself, at the
change of the year, being the second which we had
seen on board the Fram, and also, in all probability,
the last that we should all spend together. Naturally
enough, one thanked one's comrades individually and
collectively for all kindness and goodfellowship. Hardly
one of us had thought, perhaps, that the time would pass
so well up here. Sverdrup expressed the wish that the
journey which Johansen and I were about to make in
the coming year might be fortunate and bring success
in all respects. And then we drank to the health
and well-being in the coming year of those who
were to remain behind on' board the Fram. It so
happened that just now at the turn of the year we
stood on the verge of an entirely new world. The wind
38 Chapter II.
which whistled up in the rigging overhead was not only-
wafting us on to unknown regions, but also up into higher
latitudes than any human foot had ever trod. We felt
that this year, which was just commencing, would bring
the culminating point of the expedition, when it would
bear its richest fruits. Would that this year might
prove a good year for those on board the Fram, that
the Fram might go ahead, fulfilling her task as she
has hitherto done, and in that case none of us could
doubt that those on board would also prove equal to
the work entrusted to them.
'' New Year's day was ushered in with the same wind,
the same stars and the same darkness as before. Even
at noon one cannot see the slightest glimmer of
twilight in the south. Yesterday I thought I could
trace something of the kind ; it extended like a faint
gleam of light over the sky, but it was yellowish-
white, and stretched too high up, hence I am rather
inclined to think that it was an aurora borealis.
Again to-day the sky looks lighter near the edge, but
this can scarcely be anything except the gleam of the
aurora borealis, which extends all round the sky, a little
above the fog-banks on the horizon, and which is
strongest at the edge. Exactly similar lights may be
observed, at other times, in other parts of the horizon.
The air was particularly clear yesterday, but the horizon
is always somewhat foggy or hazy. During the night
we had an uncommonly strong aurora borealis ; wavy
The New Year, 1895. 39
streamers were darting in rapid twists over the
southern sky, their rays reaching to the zenith, and
beyond it there was to be seen for a time a band
in the form of a gorgeous corona, casting a reflection like
moonshine across the ice. The sky had lit up its torch
in honour of the New Year — a fairy dance of darting
streamers in the depth of night. I cannot help often
thinking that this contrast might be taken as typical
of the Northman's character and destiny. In the midst
of this gloomy, silent nature, with all its numbing cold,
we have all these shooting, glittering, quivering rays of
light. Do they not typify our impetuous ' spring-
dances,' our wild mountain melodies, the auroral gleams
in our souls, the rushing, surging, spiritual forces behind
the mantle of ice ? There is dawning life in the
slumbering night, if it could only reach beyond the icy
desert, out over the world.
" Thus 1895 comes in : —
" Turn, Fortune, turn thy wheel and lower the proud ;
Turn thy wild wheel thro' sunshine, storm, and cloud ;
Thy wheel and thee we neither love nor hate,
Smile and we smile, the lords of many lands ;
Frown and we smile, the lords of our own hands ;
For man is man and master of his fate."
*' Thursday, January 3rd. A day of unrest, a
changeful life notwithstanding all its monotony. But
yesterday we were full of plans for the future, and to-day
^O Chapter U.
how easily might we have been left on the ice without
a roof over our heads ! At half-past four in the morning a
fresh rush of ice set in in the lane aft, and at 5 it com-
menced in the lane on our port side. About 8 o'clock
I awoke, and heard the crunching and crackling of the
ice, as if ice-pressure were setting in. A slight trembling
was felt throughout the Fram, and I heard the roar out-
side. When I came out I was not a litde surprised to
find a large pressure-ridge all along the channel on the port
side, scarcely thirty paces from the Fram ; the cracks on
this side extended to quite eighteen paces from us. All
loose articles that were lying on the ice on this side were
stowed away on board ; the boards and planks, which
during the summer had supported the meteorological hut
and the screen for the same, were chopped up, as we could
not afford to lose any materials, but the line, which had
been left out in the sounding hole with the bag-net
attached to it, was caught in the pressure. Just after I
had come on board again shortly before noon, the ice
suddenly began to press on again. I went out to have a
look; it was again in the lane on the port side ; there
was a strong pressure, and the ridge was gradually
approaching. A litde later on Sverdrup went up on
deck, but soon after came below and told us that
the ridge was quickly bearing down on us, and a few
hands were required to come up and help to load the
sledge with the sounding apparatus, and bring it round
to the starboard side of the Fram. as the ice had cracked
The New Year, 1895. 41
close by it. The ridge began to come alarmingly near,
and, should it be upon us before the Fram had broken
loose from the ice, matters might become very unpleasant.
The vessel had now a greater list to the port side than
ever.
" During the afternoon various preparations were made
to leave the ship if the worst should happen. All the
sledges were placed ready on deck, and the kayaks
were also made clear, 25 cases of dog-biscuits were
deposited on the ice on the starboard side, and 19 cases
of bread were brought up and placed forward ; also four
drums holding altogether 22 gallons of petroleum were
put on deck. Ten smaller-sized tins had previously been
filled with 100 litres of snowflake oil, and various vessels
containing gasoline were also standing on deck. As we
were sitting at supper wx again heard the same crunching
and crackling noise in the ice as usual, coming nearer
and nearer, and finally we heard a crash proceeding from
right underneath where we sat. I rushed up. There
was a pressure of ice in the lane a little way off,
almost on our starboard beam. I went down again, and
continued my meal. Peter, who had gone out on the
ice, soon after came down and said, laughing as usual,
that it w^as no wonder we heard some crackling, for the
ice had cracked not a sledge-length away from the dog-
biscuit cases, and the crack was extending abaft of the
Fram. I went out and found the crack was a very
considerable one. The doer-biscuit cases were now
42 Chapter II.
shifted a little more forward for greater safety. We
also found several minor cracks in the ice around the
vessel. I then went down and had a pipe and a
pleasant chat with Sverdrup in his cabin. After we had
been sitting a good while the ice again began to crack
and jam. I did not think that the noise was greater than
usual, nevertheless I asked those in the saloon, who
sat playing halma, whether there was anyone on deck ;
if not, would one of them be kind enough to go
and see where the ice was packing. I heard hurried
steps above ; Nordahl came down and reported that
it was on the port side, and that it would be best for
us to be on deck. Peter and I jumped up and several
followed. As I went down the ladder Peter called
out to me from above : ' We must get the dogs
out ; see, there is water on the ice ! ' It was high time
that we came ; the water was rushing in and already
stood high in the kennel. Peter waded into the water
up to his knees and pushed the door open ; most of the
dogs rushed out and jumped about splashing in the
water, but some, being frightened, had crept back into
the innermost corner and had to be dragged out, although
they stood in water reaching high up their legs. Poor
brutes, it must have been miserable enough in all
conscience to be shut up in such a place while the w^ater
was steadily rising about them, yet they are not more
noisy than usual.
" The dogs having been put in safety, I walked
The New Year, 1895. 43
round the Fravt to see what else had happened. The
ice had cracked along her, to the fore, near the star-
board bow ; from this crack the water had poured aft
along the port side, which was weighed down by the
weight of the ridge steadily pressing on towards us.
The crack has just passed under the middle of the
portable forge, which was thus endangered, and it was
therefore put on a sledge and removed to the great
hummock on the starboard quarter. The pemmican,
altogether eleven cases, the cases of dog-biscuits, and
nineteen cases of bread, were conveyed to the same
place. Thus we have now a complete depot lying over
there, and, I trust, in entire safety, the ice being so
thick that it is not likely to give way. This has brought
life into the lads ; they have all turned out. We took
out four more tin cans of petroleum to the hummock,
and then proceeded to bring up from the hold and place
on deck ready for removal, twenty-one cases of bread,
and a supply of pemmican, chocolate, butter, ' vril-food,'
soup, etc., calculated to last us 200 days. Also tents,
cooking apparatus, and the like were got ready, so
that now all is clear up there, and we may sleep
securely ; but it was past midnight before we had
done. I still trust that it is all a false alarm, and that
we shall have no occasion for these supplies now at any
rate ; nevertheless it is our duty to keep everything
ready in case the unthinkable should happen. Moreover
the watch has been enjoined to mind the dogs on the ice
^4 Chapter II.
and to keep a sharp look-out in case the ice should crack
underneath our cases or the ice-pressure should recom-
mence ; if anything should happen we are to be called
out at once, too early rather than too late. While I sit
here and write I hear the crunching and crackling
beginning again outside, so that there must still be a
steady pressure on the ice. All are in the best spirits ; it
almost appears as if they looked upon this as a pleasant
break in the monotony of our existence. Well, it is
half-past one ; I had better turn into my bunk ; I am
tired, and goodness knows how soon I may be called up.
** Friday, January 4th. The ice kept quiet during
the night, but all day with some intervals it has been
crackling and settling ; and this evening there have
been several fits of pressure, from 9 o'clock onwards.
For a time it came on, sometimes rather lightly,
at regular intervals, sometimes with a rush and a regular
roar, then it subsided somewhat, and then it roared anew.
Meanwhile the pressure-ridge towers higher and higher
and bears right down upon us slowly, while the pressure
comes on at intervals only, and more quickly when the
onset continues for a time. One can actually see it
creeping nearer and nearer, and now at one o'clock at
night it is not many feet — scarcely five — away from the
edge of the snowdrift on the port side near the gangway,
and thence to the vessel is scarcely more than to feet, so
that it will not be long now before it is upon us. Mean-
while the ice continues to split, and the solid mass in
The New Year, 1895. 45
which we are embedded grows less and less both to port
and starboard. Several fissures extend right up to the
Fram. As the ice sinks down under the weight of the
ridge on the port side and the Fram lists more that
way, more water rushes up over the new ice which has
frozen on the water that rose yesterday. This is like
dying by inches. Slowly but surely the baleful ridge
advances, and it looks as if it meant going right
over the rail ; but if the Fram will only oblige by getting
free of the ice, she will, I feel confident, extricate herself
yet, even though matters look rather awkward at present.
We shall probably have a hard time of it, however, before
she can break loose, if she does not do so at once. I
have been out and had a look at the ridge, and seen
how surely it is advancing ; I have looked at the fissures
in the ice, and noted how they are forming and expand-
ing round the vessel ; I have listened to the ice crackling
and crunching under foot ; and I do not feel much
disposed to turn into my berth before I see the Fram
quite released. As I sit here now I hear the ice making
a fresh assault, and roaring and packing outside, and I
can tell that the ridge is coming nearer. This is an
ice-pressure with a vengeance, and it seems as if it
would never cease. I do not think there is anything
more that we can do now. All is in readiness for
leaving the vessel, if need be. To-day the clothing,
etc., was taken out and placed ready for removal, in
separate bags for each man.
A^ Chapter II.
"It is very strange; there is certainly a possibility
that all our plans may be crossed by unforeseen events,
although it is not very probable that this will happen.
As yet, I feel no anxiety in that direction, only I
should like to know whether we are really to take every-
thing on to the ice or not. However, it is past i o'clock,
and I think the most sensible thing to do would be to
turn in and sleep. The watch has orders to call me
when the hummock reaches the Frant. It is lucky it
is moonlight now, so that we are able to see something
of all this abomination.
" The day before yesterday we saw the moon for the
first time just above the horizon, yesterday it was
shining a little, and now we have it both day and night.
A most favourable state of things. But it is nearly
2 o'clock, and I must go to sleep now. The pressure of
the ice, I can hear, is stronger again."
'* Saturday, January 5th. To-night everybody sleeps
fully dressed, and with the most indispensable necessaries
either by his side or secured to his body, ready to jump
on the ice at the first warning. All other requisites such
as provisions, clothing, sleeping-bags, etc., etc., have
been brought out on the ice. We have been at work at
this all day, and have got everything into perfect order,
and are now quite ready to leave if necessary, which,
however, I do not believe will be the case, though the
ice-pressure has been as bad as it could be.
" I slept soundly, woke up only once and listened to
The New Year, 1895. 47
the crunching and jamming and grinding till I fell
asleep again. I was called at 5.30 in the morning by
Sverdrup, who told me that the hummock had now-
reached the Fram, and was bearing down on us
violently, reaching as high as the rail ; I was not left in
doubt very long, as, hardly had I opened my eyes, when
I heard a thundering and crashing outside in the ice, as
if Doomsday had come. I jumped up. There was
nothing left for it but to call all hands, to put all the
remaining provisions on the ice, and then put all our
furs and other equipment on deck, so that they could be
thrown overboard at a moment's notice if necessary.
Thus the day passed, but the ice kept quiet. Last of all,
the petroleum launch, which was hanging in the davits
on the port-side, Was lowered, and was dragged towards
the great hummock. At about 8 o'clock in the evening,
when we thought the ice-pressure had subsided, it started
thundering and crashing again worse than ever. I
hurried up. Masses of snow and ice rushed on us, high
above the rail amidships and over the tent. Peter, who
also came up, seized a spade and rushed forward outside
the awning as far as the forepart of the half-deck, and
stood in the midst of the ice, digging away, and I
followed to see how matters stood. I saw more than I
cared to see ; it was hopeless to fight that enemy with a
spade. I called out to Peter to come back, and said :
' We had better see to getting everything out on to the
ice.' Hardly had I spoken, when it pressed on again
48
Chapter II
with renewed strength, and thundered and crashed,
and, as Peter said, laughing till he shook again :
' Nearly sent both me and the spade to the deuce/
I rushed back to the main-deck ; on the way I
met Mogstad, who hurried up, spade in hand, and
sent him back. Running forward under the tent
ALL HANDS ON DECK.
towards the ladder, I saw that the tent- roof was bent
down under the weight of the masses of ice, which were
rushing over it and crashing in over the rail and bulwarks
to such an extent that I expected every moment to see
the ice force its way through and block up the passage.
When I got below, I called all hands on deck ; but told
The New Year, 1895. 49
them when going- up not to go out through the door on
the port-side, but through the chart-room and out on the
starboard side. In the first place, all the bags were to be
brought up from the saloon, and then we were to take
those lying on deck. I was afraid that if the door on
the port-side were not kept closed, the ice might, if it
suddenly burst through the bulwarks and tent, rush over
the deck, and in through the door, fill the passage, and
rush down the ladder, and thus imprison us like mice in
a trap. True, the passage up from the engine-room had
been cleared for this emergency, but this was a very
narrow hole to get through with heavy bags, and no one
could tell how long this hole would keep open, when the
ice once attacked us in earnest. I ran up again to set
free the dogs, which were shut up in ' Castle-garden ' — an
enclosure on the deck along the port bulwark. They
whined and howled most dolefully under the tent, as the
snow masses threatened at any moment to crush it and
bury them alive. I cut away the fastening with a knife,
pulled the door open, and out rushed most of them by
the starboard gangway at full speed. "^
" Meantime the hands started bringing up the bags.
It was quite unnecessary to ask them to hurry up —
the ice did that, thundering against the ship's sides in a
* The word sva/ke/em, which has throughout been translated "gang-
way," means rather a sort of portdiole. As the svalkelem, however,
was the means of exit from and entrance to the ship, " gangway " seemed
the most convenient expression for it.
VOL. II. K
^O Chapter II.
way that seemed irresistible. It was a fearful hurly-
burly in the darkness ; for, to cap all, the mate had, in
the hurry, let the lanterns go out. I had to go down again
to get something on my feet ; my Finland shoes were
hanging up to dry in the galley. When I got there the
ice was at its worst, and the half-deck beams were creak-
ing overhead, so that I really thought they were all
coming down.
'* The saloon and the berths were soon cleared of bags
and the deck as well, and we started taking them along
the ice. The ice roared and crashed against the ship's
side, so that we could hardly hear ourselves speak ; but
all went quickly and well, and before long everything was
in safety.
" While we were dragging the bags along, the pres-
sure and jamming of the ice had at last stopped, and
all was quiet again as before.
'' But, what a sight ! The Frams port-side was
quite buried under the snow ; all that could be seen
was the top of the tent projecting. Had the petroleum
launch been hanging in the davits, as it was a few
hours previously, it would hardly have escaped destruc-
tion. The davits were quite buried in ice and snow. It
is curious that both fire and water have been powerless
against that boat, and it has now come outscathed from
the ice. and lies there bottom upwards on the floe. She
has had a stormy existence and continual mishaps ; I
wonder what is next in store for her 1
The New Year, 1895. 51
"It was, I must admit, a most exciting- scene, when it
was at its worst, and we thought it was imperative to get
the bags up from the saloon with all possible speed.
Sverdrup now tells me that he was just about to have
a bath, and was as naked as when he w^as born, when he
heard me call all hands on deck. As this had not
happened before, he understood there was something
serious the matter, and he jumped into his clothes any-
how. Amundsen, apparently, also realised that something-
was amiss. He says he was the first who came up with
his bag ; he had not understood, or had forgotten in
the confusion, the order about going out through the
starboard door ; he groped his way out on the port-side
and fell in the dark over the edge of the half-deck.
'Well, that did not matter,' he said, 'he was quite used
to that kind of thing ; ' but having pulled himself together
after the fall, and as he was lying there on his back,
he dared not move, for it seemed to him as if tent and
all were coming down on him, and it thundered and
crashed against the gunwale and the hull as if the last
hour had come. It finally dawned on him why he
ought to have gone out on the starboard and not on the
port side.
"All that could possibly be thought to be of any use
was taken out. The mate was seen dragging along a
big bag of clothes, with a heavy bundle of cups fastened
outside it. Later, he was stalking about with all sorts
of things such as mittens, knives, cups, etc., fastened to
E 2
^2 Chapter II.
his clothes and dangling about him, so that the rattling
noise could be heard afar off. He is himself to the last.
"In the evening the men all started eating their stock
of cakes, sweetmeats, and such-like, smoked tobacco,
and enjoyed themselves in the most animated fashion.
They evidently thought it was uncertain when they
should next have such a time on board the Fram, and
therefore they thought it was best to avail themselves
of the opportunity. We are now living in marching
order on an empty ship.
"" By way of precaution we have now burst open
again the passage on the starboard side which was
used as a library and had therefore been closed ; and
all doors are now kept always open, so that we can
be sure of getting out, even if anything should
give way. We do not want the ice-pressure to close
the doors against us, by jamming the doorposts
together. But she certainly is a strong ship. It is a
mighty ridge that we have in our port side, and the
masses of ice are tremendous. The ship is listing more
than ever, nearly 7° ; but since the last pressure she has
righted herself a little again, so that she must surely
have broken aw^ay from the ice, and begun to rise, and
all danger is doubdess over. So, after all, it has been a
case of ' Much ado about nothing.' "
" Sunday, January 6th. A quiet day ; no jamming since
last night. Most of the fellows slept wxll on into the
morning. This afternoon all have been very busy digging
The New Year, 1895. 53
the Fram out of the ice again, and we have now got the
rail clear right aft to the half-deck ; but a tremendous
mass had fallen over the tent. It was above the second
ratline in the fore-shrouds, and fully 6 feet over the rail.
It is a marvel that the tent stood it ;, but it was a very
good thing that it did do so, for otherwise it is hard to
say what might have become of many of the dogs.
This afternoon Hansen took a meridian observation,
which gave 83° 34' N. lat. Hurrah ! We are getting
on well, northward ; thirteen minutes since Monday,
and the most northern latitude is now reached. It goes
without saying that the occasion was duly celebrated
with a bowl of punch, preserved fruits, cakes, and the
doctor's cigars.
•' Last night we were running with the bags for our
lives ; to-night we are drinking punch and feasting ; such
are, indeed, the vicissitudes of fate. All this roaring
and crashing for the last few days has been, perhaps, a
cannonade to celebrate our reaching such a high latitude.
If that be so it must be admitted that the ice has done
full honour to the occasion. Well, never mind, let it
crash on so long as we only get northward. The Fram
will, no doubt, stand it now ; she has lifted fully one
foot forward and fully six inches aft ; and she has slipped
a little a-stern. Moreover, we cannot find so much as
a single stancheon in the bulwarks that has started ; yet
to-night every man will sleep fully prepared to make for
the ice."
c^ Chapter II.
" Monday, January 7th. There was a little jamming
of the ice occasionally during the day, but only of slight
duration ; then all was quiet again. Evidently the ice has
not yet setded, and we have perhaps more to expect
from our friend to port, whom I would willingly exchange
for a better neighbour.
''It seems, however, as if the ice pressure had altered
its direction since ' the wind has changed to S.E. It is
now confined to the ridges fore and aft, athwart the
wind ; while our friend to port, lying almost in the line
of the wind, has kept somewhat quieter.
*' Everything has an end, as the boy said when he was
in for a birching. Perhaps the growth of this ridge has
come to an end now, perhaps not ; the one thing is just
as likely as the other.
'' To-day the work of extricating the Fi^aui is pro-
ceeding ; we will at all events get the rails clear of
the ice. It presents a most imposing sight by the light
of the moon, and however conscious of one's own
strength, one cannot help respecting an antagonist who
commands such powers, and who, in a few moments, is
capable of putting mighty machinery into action. It is
rather an awkward battering-ram to face. The Frain
is equal to it, but no other ship could have resisted
such an onslaught. In less than an hour this ice can
build up a wall alongside us and over us, which it might
take us a month to get out of, and possibly longer than
that. There is something gigantic about it ; it is like
The New Year, 1895. 55
a struggle between dwarfs and an ogre, in which the
pigmies have to resort to cunning and trickery to get
out of the clutches of one who seldom relaxes his grip.
The Fi^ain is the ship which the pigmies have built
with all their cunning in order to fight the ogre, and
on board this ship they work as busily as ants, while
the ogre only thinks it worth while to roll over and
twist his body about now and then, but every time he
turns over it seems as though the nutshell would be
smashed and buried, and would disappear ; but the
pigmies have built their nutshell so cleverly that it
always keeps afloat, and wriggles itself free from the
deadly embrace. The old traditions and legends about
giants, about Thor's battles in the Jotunheim, when
rocks were split and crags were hurled about, and the
valleys were filled with falling boulders, all come back to
me, when I look at these mighty ridges of ice winding
their way far off in the moonlight ; and when I see
the men standing on the ice heap, cutting and digging to
remove a fraction of it, then they seem to me smaller
than pigmies, smaller than ants. But although each ant
carries only a single fir-needle, yet in course of time
the ants build an anthill, where they can live comfort-
ably, sheltered from storm and winter.
'' Had this attack on xh^Frain been planned by the aid
of all the wickedness in the world, it could not have been
a worse one. The floe, 7 feet thick, has borne down
on us on the port side, forcing itself up on the ice
^6 Chapter II.
in which we are lying, and crushing it down. Thus the
Fram was forced down with the ice, while the other
floe, packed up on the ice beneath, bore down on her,
and took her amidship while she was still frozen fast.
As far as I can judge, she could hardly have had a
tighter squeeze ; it was no wonder that she groaned
under it ; but she withstood it, broke loose, and eased.
Who shall say after this that a vessel's shape is of little
consequence '^ Had the Fram not been designed as she
was, we should not have been sitting here now. Not a
drop of water is to be found in her anywhere. Strangely
enough, the ice has not given us another such squeeze
since then ; perhaps it was its expiring grip we felt on
Saturday ?
"It is hard to tell, but it was terrific enough. This
morning Sverdrup and I went for a walk on the ice, but
when we got a little way from the ship, we found no sign
of any new packing, the ice was smooth and unbroken
as before. The packing has been limited to a certain
stretch from east to west, and the Fram has been lying
at the very worst point of it.
" This afternoon Hansen has worked out yesterday's
observation, the result being 83^ 34*2' N. lat. and
102° 51' E. long. We have therefore drifted north
and westward; 15 miles west, indeed, and only 13-5
north, since New Year's Eve, while the wind has been
mostly from the south-west. It seems as if the ice has
taken a more decided course towards the north-west than
The New Year, 1895. 57
ever, and therefore It is not to be wondered at that there
is some pressure when the wind blows athwart the course
of the ice. However, I hardly think we need any-
particular explanation of the pressure, as we have
evidently again got into a packing-centre with cracks,
" A MOST REMARKABLE MOON.
lanes, and ridges, where the pressure is maintained for
some time, such as we were in during the first winter.
We have constantly met with several similar stretches on
the surrounding ice, even when it has been most quiet.
"This evening there was a most remarkable bright-
ness right under the moon. It was like an immense
58 Chapter II.
luminous haycock, which rose from the horizon, and
touched the great rin<T round the moon. At the upper
side of this ring- there was a segment of the usual
inverted arc of light."
The next day, January 8th, the ice began grinding
occasionally, and while Mogstad and I stood in the hold
working on hand-sledges we heard creakings in the ship
both above and below us. This was repeated several
times ; but in the intervals it was quiet. I was often on
the ice listening to the grinding and watching how it
went on, but it did not go beyond crackling and creaking
beneath our feet and in the ridge at our side. Perhaps
it is to warn us not to be too confident ! I am not so
sure that it is not necessary. It is in reality like living
on a smoking volcano. The eruption that will seal our
fate may occur at any moment. It will either force the
ship up or swallow her down. And what are the stakes ?
Either the Fram will get home and the expedition be fully
successful, or we shall lose her and have to be content
with what we have done, and possibly on our way home we
may explore parts of Franz Josef Land. That is all ;
but most of us feel that it would be hard to lose the ship,
and it would be a very sad sight to see her disappear.
"Some of the hands under Sverdrup are working,
trying to cut away the hummock-ice on the port side, and
they have already made good headway. Mogstad and I
are busy.getting the sledges in order, and preparing them
for use as I. want them, whether we oo north or south.
The New Year, 1895. 59
" Liv is two years old to-day.
" She is a big girl now. I wonder if I should be
able to recognise her ; I suppose I should hardly find
a single familiar feature. They are sure to celebrate
the day, and she will get all kinds of presents. Many
a thought will be sent northwards, but they know^ not
where to look for us ; are not aware that we are
drifting here embedded in the ice in the highest northern
latitudes ever reached, in the deepest polar-night ever
penetrated."
During the following days the ice became steadily
quieter. In the course of the night of the 9th of
January the ice was still slightly cracking and grinding ;
then it quite subsided, and on the loth of January the
report is " ice perfectly quiet, and if it were not for the
ridge on the port side, one would never have thought
there had ever been any breach in the eternal stillness,
so calm and peaceful is it." Some men went on cutting
away the ice, and little by little we could see it is getting
less. Mogstad and I were busily engaged in the hold
with the new sledges, and during this time I also made
an attempt to photograph the Frani by moonlight from
different points. The results surpassed my expectations ;
but as the top of the pressure-ridge had now been cut
aw^ay, these photos do not give an exact impression of
the pack-ice, and of how it came hurtling down upon
the Fra7n: We then put in order our depot on
the great hummock on the starboard quarter, and
6o Chapter II.
all sleepin.^* bags, Lapland boots, Finn-shoes, wolf-
skin clothing, etc., were wrapped in the foresail and
placed to the extreme west, the provisions were collected
into six different heaps, and the rifles and guns were
distributed among three of the heaps and wrapped up in
boat-sails. Next, Hansen's instrument-case and my own,
together with a bucket-full of rifle-cartridges, were placed
under a boat-sail. Then the forge and the smith's tools
were arranged separately ; and up on the top of the great
hummock we laid a heap of sledges and snow-shoes.
All the kayaks were laid side by side bottom upwards,
the cooking apparatus and lamps, etc., being placed under
them. They were spread out in this way, so that in the
improbable event of thick floe splitting suddenly, our loss
would not be so great. We knew where to find every-
thing, and it might blow and drift to its heart's content,
without our losing anything.
On the evening of January 14th, I wrote in my diary :
** Two sharp reports were heard in the ship, like shots
from a cannon, and then followed a noise, as of some-
thing splitting — presumably this must be the cracking of
the ice, on account of the frost. It appeared to me that
the list on the ship increased at that moment, but perhaps
it was only imagination."
As time passed on we all gradually got busy again
preparing for the sledge - expedition. On Tuesday,
January 15th, I say: ''This evening the doctor gave
a lesson to Johansen and myself in bandaging and
The New Year, 1895. 61
repairing broken limbs. I lay on the table and had
a plaster of Paris bandage put round the calf of my leg,
while all the crew were looking on. The very sight of
this operation cannot fail to suggest unpleasant thoughts.
An accident of this nature out in the Polar night with
40° to 50° of cold, would be anything but pleasant,
to say nothing of how easily it might mean death
to both of us. But who knows ? — we might manage
somehow. However, such things must not be allowed
to happen, and what is more they shall noty
As January went on, we could by noon just see the
faint dawn of day — that day at whose sunrise we were to
start. On January i8th, I say: "By 9 o'clock in the
morning I could already distinguish the first indications
of dawn, and by noon, it seemed to be getting bright ;
but it seems hardly credible that in a month's time there
will be light enough to travel by. Yet it must be so.
True, February is a month which all ' experienced *
people consider far too early and much too cold for
travelling ; hardly anyone would do so in the month of
March. But it cannot be helped, we have no time to
waste in waiting for additional comfort, if we are to
make any progress before the summer, when travelling
will be impossible. I am not afraid of the cold, we can
always protect ourselves against that.
" Meantime all preparations are proceeding, and I am
now getting everything in order connected with copying
of diaries, observation books, photographs, etc., that we
62 Chapter II.
are to take with us. Mogstad is working in the hold,
making maple guard-runners to put under the sledges.
Jacobsen has commenced to put a new sledge together.
Pettersen is in the engine-room, making nails for the
sledge - fittings, which Mogstad is to put on. In the
meantime some of the others have built a large forge
out on the ice with blocks of ice and snow, and
to-morrow Sverdrup and I will heat and bend the
runners in tar and stearine at such a heat as we can
produce in the forge. We trust we shall be able to get
a sufficient temperature to do this important work
thoroughly, in spite of the 40 degrees of frost. Amundsen
is now repairing the mill, as there is something wrong with
it again, the cog-wheels being worn. He thinks he will
be able to get it all right again. Rather chilly work to
be lying up there in the wind on the top of the mill,
boring in the hard steel and cast-iron by lantern light,
and at such a temperature as we are having now. I
stood and watched the lantern-light up there to-day,
and I soon heard the drill working ; one could tell
the steel was hard ; then I could hear clapping of
hands. ' Ah,' thought I, ' you may well clap your
hands together, it is not a particularly warm job to be
lying up there in the wind.' The worst of it is
one cannot wear mittens for such work, but has to use
the bare hands if one is to make any progress, and it
would not take long to freeze them off; but it has to be
done, he says, and he will not give in. He is a splendid
The New Year, 1895. ^
o
fellow In all he undertakes, and I console him by saying-
that there are not many before him who have worked
on the top of a mill in such frost north of 83°.
On many expeditions they have avoided out-of-door
work when the temperature got so low. ' Indeed,' he
says, ' I thought that other expeditions were in advance
of us in that respect. I imagined we had kept indoors
too much.' I had no hesitation in enlightening him on
this point ; I know he will do his best in any case.
" This is, indeed, a strange time for me ; I feel as
if I were preparing for a summer trip, and the spring
was already here ; yet it is still mid-winter, and the
conditions of the summer trip may be somewhat
ambiguous. The ice keeps quiet, the cracking in it and
in the Fram is due only to the cold. I have during
the last few days again read Payer's account of his
sledge expedition northwards through Austria Sound.
It is not very encouraging. The very land he
describes as the realm of Death, where he thinks
he and his companions would inevitably have perished
had they not recovered the vessel, is the place to
which we look for salvation ; that is the region we
hope to reach when our provisions have come to an
end. It may seem reckless, but nevertheless I cannot
imagine that it is so. I cannot help believing that a
land, which even in April teems with bears, auks, and
black guillemots, and where seals are basking on the ice,
must be a ' Canaan, flowing with milk and honey,' for two
64 Chapter II.
men who have good rifles and good eyes ; it must surely
yield food enough not only for the needs of the moment,
but also provisions for the journey onwards to Spitz-
bergen. Sometimes, however, the thought will present
itself that it may be very difficult to get the food
when it is most sorely needed ; but these are only
passing moments. We must remember Carlyle's
words : ' A man shall and must be valiant, he must
march forward, and quit himself like a man — trusting
imperturbably in the appointment and choice of the
Upper Powers.' I have not, it is true, any ' Upper
Powers ' ; it would probably be well to have them in such
a case ; but we nevertheless are starting, and the time
approaches rapidly. Four weeks or a little more soon pass
by, and then farewell to this snug nest, which has been
our home for eighteen months, and we go out into the
darkness and cold, out into the still more unknown :
" Out yonder 'tis dark,
But onward we must,
Over the dewy wet mountains,
Ride through the land of the ice-troll ;
We shall both be saved,
Or the ice-troll's hand
Shall clutch us both."
On January 23rd I write : "The dawn has grown so
much that there was a visible light from it on the ice,
and for the first time this year I saw the crimson
glow of the sun low down in the dawn." We now
The New Year, 1895. 65
took soundings with the lead, before I was to leave the
vessel ; we found 1,876 fathoms (3,450 metres). I then
made some snowshoes down in the hold ; it was important
to have them smooth, tough and light, on which one could
make good headway ; " they shall be well rubbed with
tar, stearine, and tallow, and there shall be speed in
them ; then it is only a question of using one's legs, and I
have no doubt that can be managed."
" Tuesday, January 29th. Latitude yesterday S;^° 30'.
Some days ago we had been so far north as S^'^ 40', but
had again drifted southwards. The light keeps on steadily
increasing, and by noon it almost seems to be broad
daylight. I believe I could read the title of a book out
in the open if the print were large and clear. I take a
stroll every morning, greeting the dawning day, before
I go dow^n into the hold to my work at the snow-
shoes and equipment. My mind is filled with a peculiar
sensation, which I cannot clearly define ; there is certainly
an exulting feeling of triumph deep in the soul, a feeling
that all one's dreams are about to be realised with the
rising sun, which steers northwards across the icebound
waters. But while I am busy in these familiar sur-
roundings, a wave of sadness sometimes comes over me :
it is like bidding farewell to a dear friend and to a
home, which has long afforded me a sheltering roof; at
one blow all this and my dear comrades are to be left
behind for ever ; never again shall I tread this snow-clad
deck, never again creep under this tent, never hear the
VOL. II. V
66 Chapter II.
laughter ring in this familiar saloon, never again sit in
this friendly circle.
''And then I remember that when \}[\^ Fram at last
bursts from her bonds of ice, and turns her prow towards
Norway, I shall not be with her. A farewell imparts to
everything in life its own tinge of sadness, like the
crimson rays of the sun, when the day, good or bad,
sinks in tears below the horizon.
" Hundreds of times my eye wanders to the map
hanging there on the wall, and each time a chill creeps
over me. The distance before us seems so long, and the
obstacles in our path may be many ; but then again the
feeling comes, that we are bound to pull through ; it
cannot be otherwise ; everything is too carefully prepared
to fail now ; and meanwhile the south-east wind is
whistling above us and we are continually drifting
northwards nearer our goal. When I go up on deck
and step out into the night, with its glittering starry vault
and the flaring aurora borealis, then all these thoughts
recede and I must as ever pause on the threshold of
this sanctuary, this dark, deep, silent space, this infinite
temple of nature, in which the soul seeks to find its
origin. Toiling ant, what matters it, whether you reach
your goal with your fir-needle or not ! Every thing-
disappears none the less in the ocean of eternity, in the
great Nirvana. ' And as time rolls on our names are
forgotten, our deeds pass into oblivion and our lives flit
by like the traces of a cloud and vanish like the mist
The New Year, 1895. ^7
dispelled by the warm rays of the sun. Our time is
but a fleeting shadow, hurrying us on to the end, so it
is ordained ; and having reached that end none ever
retraced his steps.'
" Two of us will soon be journeying further through
this immense waste, into greater solitudes and deeper
stillness."
" Wednesday, January 30th. To-day the great event
has happened, that the windmill is again at work for the
first time after its long rest. In spite of the cold and
the darkness, Amundsen had got the cogwheels into
order, and now it is running as smoothly and steadily
as guttapercha."
We have now constant north-east winds, and we a^rain
bore northwards. On Sunday, February 3rd, we were
at 83° 43'. The time for our departure approached, and
the preparations were carried on with great activity.
The sledges were completed, and I tried them under
various conditions. I have alluded to the fact that we
made maple guards to put under the fixed nickel-plated
runners. The idea of this was to strengthen both the
sledges and the runners, so that they would at the
beginning of the journey, when the loads were heavy,
be less liable to breakage from the jolting to which
they would probably be exposed. Later on, when the
load got lighter, we might, if we thought fit, easily
remove them. These guards were also to serve
another purpose. I had an idea that, in view of the
F 2
68 Chapter II.
low temperature we had during the winter, and on the
dry drift-snow, which then covered the ice-floes, metal
would glide less easily than smooth wood, especially if
the latter were well rubbed with rich tar and stearine.
By February 8th one of the sledges with wooden guard-
runners was finished, so that we could make experiments
in this direction, and we then found that it was consider-
ably easier to haul than a similar sledge running on the
nickel-plate, though the load on each was exactly the
same. The difference was so great that we found
that it was at least half as hard again to draw a sledge
on the nickel runners as on the tarred maple runners.
Our new ash sledges were now nearly finished and
weighed 30 lbs. without the guard-runners. " Every-
body is hard at work. Sverdrup is sewing bags or
bolsters to put on the sledges as beds for the kayaks to
rest on. To this end the bags are to be made up to fit
the bottoms of the boats. Johansen and one or two
other men are stuffing the bags with pemmican, which
has to be warmed, beaten, and kneaded in order to give
it the right form for making a good bed for our precious
boats. When these square, flat bags are carried out into
the cold they freeze as hard as stone, and keep their form
well. Blessing is sitting up in the work-room, copying
the photographs of which I have no prints. Hansen is
working out a map of our route so far, and copying out
his observations for us, etc., etc. In short, there is
hardly a man on board who does not feel that the
The New Year, 1895. 69
moment for departure approaches ; perhaps the galley is
the only place where everything goes on in the usual
way under the management of Lars. Our position
yesterday was Sf 32-1' N. lat., and 102° 28' E. long.,
so we are southwards again ; but never mind, what do a
dozen miles more or less matter to us ? "
'' Sunday, February loth. To-day there was so much
daylight that at i o'clock I could fairly well read the
Verdens Gang, when I held the paper up towards the
light ; but when I held it towards the moon, which was
low in the north, it was no go. Before dinner I went for
a short drive with ' Gulen ' and ' Susine ' (two of the
young dogs) and ' Kaifas.' ' Gulen ' had never been in
harness before, but yet she went quite well ; she was
certainly a little awkward at first, but that soon dis-
appeared, and I think she will make a good dog when
she is well trained. ' Susine,' who was driven a little
last autumn, conducted herself quite like an old sledge-
dog. The surface is hard, and easy for the dogs to haul
on. They get a good foothold, and the snow is not
particularly sharp for their feet ; however, it is not over
smooth ; this drift-snow makes heavy going. The ice is
smooth, and easy to run on, and I trust we shall be able
to make good day-journeys ; after all, we shall reach our
destination sooner than we had expected. I cannot deny
that it is a long journey, and scarcely anyone has ever
more effectually burnt his boats behind_T^him. If we
wished to turn back we have absolutely nothing to return
70 Chapter II.
to, not even a bare coast. It will be impossible to find the
ship, and before us lies the ^reat unknown. But there
is only one road, and that lies straight ahead, right
through, be it land or sea, be it smooth or rough, be
It mere ice or ice and water. And I cannot but believe
that we must get through, even if we should meet with
the worst, viz., land and pack-ice.
" Wednesday, February 13th. The pemmican bolsters
and dried liver pie are now ready ; the kayaks will get
an excellent bedding, and I venture to say that such
meat bolsters are an absolute novelty. Under each
kayak there are three of them, they are made to fit the
sledge, and as already stated, are moulded to the shape
of the kayak. They weigh 100 to 120 lbs. each. The
empty sacks weigh 2 or 3 lbs. each, so that altogether
the meat (pemmican and liver pie) in these three bags
will weigh about 320 lbs. We each had our light
sleeping-bags of reindeer's-skin, and we tried to sleep
out in them last night, but both Johansen and I found it
rather cold, although it was only -^l"" F. of frost.
We were, perhaps, too lightly clad under the wolf s-skin
clothing ; .we are making another experiment with a little
more on to-night."
.''Saturday, February 16th. The outfitting is still
progressing ; but there are various small things yet to
do which take time, and I do not know whether we shall
be ready to start on Wednesday, February 20th, as I
originally intended. The day is now so light that as far
The New Year, 1895.
71
as that Is concerned we might quite well start then, but,
perhaps, we had better wait a day or two longer. Three
sledge-sails (for single sledges) arenow finished ; they are
made of very light calico, and are about 7 feet 2 inches
broad by 4 feet 4 inches long ; they are made so that two
of them may be laced together and used as one sail for
a double sledge, and I believe they will act well ; they
weigh a little over i lb. each. Moreover, we have now
most of the provisions ready stowed away in bags."
CHAPTER III.
We make a Start.
'^^TuESDAY, February 26th. At last the day has
arrived, the great day, when the journey is to commence.
The week has passed in untiring work to get everything
ready. We should have started on the 20th, but it has
been postponed from day to day ; there was always some-
thing still to do. My head has been full night and day,
with all that was to be done and that must not be for-
gotten. Oh, this unceasing mental strain, which does
not allow a minute's respite in which to throw off the
responsibility, to give loose rein to the thoughts and let
the dreams have full sway ; the nerves are in a state of
tension from the moment of awaking in the morning till the
eyes close late at night. Ah ! how well I know this state,
which I have experienced each time I have been about
to set out, and retreat was to be cut off — never, I believe,
more effectually than now\ The last few nights I did not
get to bed before half-past three or half-past four o'clock
in the morning. It is not only what we ought to take
with us that has to. be taken care of, but we have to leave
We make a Start.
11
the vessel ; its command and responsibility have to be
placed in other hands, and care must be taken that
nothing is forgotten in the way of instructions to the
men who remain ; for the scientific observations will
have to be continued on the same lines as they have
been carried on hitherto, and other observations of all
kinds will have to be made, etc., etc."
The last night we were to spend on board the Frarn
eventually arrived, and we had a farewell party. In a
strange, sad way, reminiscences were revived of all that
had befallen us here on board, mingled with hope and
trust in what the future would bring. I remained up
till far into the night ; letters and remembrances had
to be sent to those at home, in case the unforeseen
should happen. Amongst the last thing I wrote were
the following instructions to Sverdrup, in which I handed
over to him the command of the expedition : —
'' Captain Otto Sverdrup.
*' Commander of the Fram.
" As I am now leaving the Fram, accompanied by
Johansen, to undertake a journey northwards — if
possible to the Pole — and from there to Spitzbergen,
most likely via Franz Josef Land, I make over to you
the command of the remaining part of the expedition.
From the day I leave the Fram, all the authority which
hitherto was vested in me shall devolve upon you to an
74 Chapter III.
equal extent, and the others will have to render absolute
obedience to you, or to whomsoever you may depute as
their leader. I consider it superfluous to give any orders
about what is to be done under various contingencies,
even if it were possible to give any. I am certain you
will know best yourself what ought to be done in any
emergency, and I therefore consider that I may with
confidence leave the Fram.
" The chief aim of the expedition is to push through
the unknown Polar Sea from the region around the New
Siberian Islands, north of Franz Josef Land, and
onward to the Atlantic Ocean near Spitzbergen or Green-
land. The most essential part of this task, I consider,
we have already accomplished ; the remainder will be
achieved as the expedition gets farther west. In order
to make the expedition still more fruitful of results, I am
making an attempt to push further up north with the
dogs. Your task will then be to convey home, in the
safest manner possible, the human lives now confided to
your care, and not to expose them to any unnecessary
danger, either out of regard for the ship or cargo,
or for the scientific outcome of the expedition. No
one can tell how long it may take before the Fram
drifts out into open water. You have provisions
for several years to come ; if for any unknown reason
it should take too long, or if the crew should begin
to suffer in health, or if from other reasons you
should think it best to abandon the vessel, it should
"3 ^
> S
> he
o
9 ^
o ^
u «
We make a Start. 75
unquestionably be done. As to the time of the year
when this should be done, and the route to be chosen,
you yourself will be best able to judge. If it
should be necessary, I consider Franz Josef Land
and Spitzbergen favourable lands to make for. If search
is made for the expedition after the arrival home of
Johansen and myself, it will be made there first.
Wherever you come to land, you should, as often as
you can, erect conspicuous beacons on promontories and
projecting headlands, and place within the beacons a
short report of what has occurred, and whither you
are going. In order to distinguish these beacons from
others, a small beacon should be erected 13 feet
from the larger one in the direction of the magnetic
North Pole. The question as to what outfit would
be most advantageous, in case the Fraui should have
to be abandoned, is one which we have so frequently
discussed that I consider it superfluous to dwell on it
here. I know that you will take care that the requisite
number of kayaks for all the men, sledges, snow-shoes,
' truger,' and other articles of outfit are put in com-
plete order as soon as possible, and kept in readiness, so
that such a journey home over the ice could be under-
taken with the greatest* possible ease. Elsewhere I give
you directions as to the provisions which I consider
most suitable for such a journey, and the quantity
necessary for each man.
'' I also know that you will hold everything in readiness
76 Chapter III.
to abandon the Fi'am in the shortest possible time in the
event of her suffering sudden damage, whether through
fire or ice-pressure. If the ice permits it, I consider
it advisable that a depot, with sufficient provisions, etc.,
should be established at a safe place on the ice, such as
we have lately had. All necessaries which cannot be
kept on the ice ought to be so placed on board that
they are easy to get at under any circumstances. As
you are aware, all the provisions now in the depot are
concentrated foods for sledging journeys only ; but as it
may happen that you will have to remain inactive for a
time before going further, it would be highly desirable
to save as much tinned meat, fish, and vegetables as
possible ; should troubled times come then, I should
consider it advisable to have a supply of these articles
ready on the ice.
'* Should the Fram while drifting be carried far to
the north of Spitzbergen, and get over into the current
under the east coast of Greenland, many possibilities may
be imagined which it is not easy to form an opinion on
now ; but should you be obliged to abandon the Fram
and make for the land, it would be best for you to erect
beacons there as stated above (with particulars as to
whither you are going, etc.), as search might possibly
be made there for the expedition. Whether in that case
you ought to make for Iceland (which is the nearest
land, and where you should be able to get in the early
part of summer, if following the edge of the ice), or
We make a Start. "j^
for the Danish colonies west of Cape Farewell, you will be
best able to judge on considering all the circumstances.
'' As regards what you ought to take with you in the
event of abandoning the Fram, besides the necessary
provisions, I may mention weapons, ammunition, and
equipment, all scieiitific and other journals and obser-
vations, all scientific collections that are not too heavy ^ or
if too heavy small samples thereof ; photographs, pre-
ferably the original plates (or films), or should these
prove too heavy, then prints taken from them ; also the
* Aderman ' aerometer, with which most of the observa-
tions on the specific gravity of sea-water are taken ; as
well as, of course, all journals and memoranda which
are of any interest. I leave behind some diaries and
letters, which I would request you to take special care of,
and deliver to Eva, if I should not return home, or if,
contrary to all expectation, you should return home
before us.
'* Hansen and Blessing will, as you know, attend
to the various scientific expeditions and to the col-
lecting of specimens. You yourself will attend to the
soundings, and see that they are taken as frequently as
possible and as the condition of the line permits. I
should consider at least once in every 60 miles covered
to be extremely desij^able; if it can be done oftener so
much the better. Should the depth become less than
now and more variable, it goes without saying that
soundings should be taken more frequently.
78 Chapter III.
" As the crew was small before, and will now be still
further reduced by two men, more work will probably
fall to each man's lot ; but I know that, whenever you can,
you will spare men to assist in the scientific observations,
and make them as complete as possible. Please also
see that every tenth day (the first, tenth, and twentieth
of every month) the ice is bored through, and the thickness
measured, in the same way as has been done hitherto.
Henriksen has for the most part made these borings,
and is a trustworthy man for this work.
"In conclusion, I wish all possible success to you, and
to those for whom you are now responsible, and may we
meet again in Norway, whether it be on board of this
vessel, or without her.
'' Yours affectionately,
*' Fridtjof Nansen.
" On board the Fram,
" February 25, 1895."
•* Now at last the brain was to get some rest, and the
work for the legs and arms was to commence. Everything
was got ready for the start this morning. Five of our
comrades, Sverdrup, Hansen, Blessing, Henriksen, and
Mogstad were to see us off on our way, bringing a
sledge and a tent with them. The four sledges were
got ready, the dogs harnessed to them, lunch with a
bottle of malt extract per man, was taken just before
starting, and then we bade the last hearty farewell to those
We make a Start. 79
left behind. We were off into the drifting snow. I myself
took the lead with ' Kvik ' as leading dog, in the first
sledge, and then sledge after sledge followed amid
cheers, accompanied by the cracking of whips and the
barking of dogs. At the same time a salute was fired
from the quarter-deck, shot after shot, into the whirling
drift. The sledges moved heavily forward ; it was
slow travelling uphill, and they came to a dead stop
where the ascent was too steep, and we all had to help
them along, one man alone could not do it ; but over
level ground we flew along like a whirlwind, and those
on snow-shoes found it difficult enough to keep pace with
the sledges. I had to strike out as best I could when
they came up to me to avoid getting my legs entangled
in the line. A man is beckoning with his staff far in the
rear. It is Mogstad, who comes tearing along and
shouting that three ' floitstokker '^'' (cross-bars) had
been torn off a sledge in driving. The sledge, with its
heavy load, had lurched forward over an upright piece
of ice, which struck the cross-bars, breaking all three of
them, one after the other ; one or two of the perpendicular
supports of the runners were also smashed. There was
nothing for it but to return to the ship to get it repaired
and have the sledges made stronger. Such a thing
ought not to happen again. During the return one of
* The cross-bars on the sledge that connect the perpendicular
supports of the runners with each other.
8o Chapter III.
the sledges lurched up against another, and a cane in
the bow snapped. The bows would, therefore, also have
to be made stronger.^
** The sledges have again been unloaded and brought
on board, in order that this may be done, and here we are
again to-night. I am glad, however, that this happened
when it did ; it would have been worse to have had
such an experience a few days later. I will now take
six sledges instead of four, so that the load on each may
be less, and so that it will be easier to lift them over the
irregularities of the ground. I shall also have a broad
board fitted lengthwise to the sledge, underneath the
cross-bars, so as to protect them against projecting pieces
of ice. As a great deal of time is saved in the end by
doing such things thoroughly before starting, we shall
not be ready to start before the day after to-morrow. It
seemed strange to be on board again after having said
good-bye, as I thought, for ever, to these surroundings.
When I came up on the after-deck, I found the guns lying
there in the snow, one of them turned over on its back, the
other had recoiled a long way aft, when saluting us ; from
the mizzen-top the red and black flag was still waving.
'' I am in wonderfully high spirits, and feel confident of
success ; the sledges seemed to glide so easily, although
* The sledge runners were connected in front by a bow, consisting
of three or four pieces of rattan cane lashed together ; it is to this bow
the hauling lines are fastened.
We make a Start. 8i
carrying" 200 lbs. more than was originally intended
(about 2,200 lbs. altogether), and everything looks
very promising. We shall have to wait a couple ot
days, but as we are having a south-easterly wind all day
long, we are no doubt getting on towards the north, all
the same. Yesterday we were 8^,° 47', to-day I suppose
we are at least S;^° 50'."
At last, on Thursday, February 28th, we started again
with our six sledges. Sverdrup, Hansen, Blessing,
Henriksen, and Mogstad saw us off. When we started
most, of the others also accompanied us some distance.
We soon found that the dogs did not draw as well as I
had expected, and I came to the conclusion that with
this load we should get on too slowly. We had not
proceeded far from the ship before I decided to leave
behind some of the sacks with provisions for the dogs,
and these were later on taken back on board by the
others.
At 4 o'clock in the afternoon, when we stopped, our
odometer* showed that we had gone about 4 miles
from the Frani. We had a pleasant evening in the
tent together with our friends who were going back the
next day. To my surprise a punch-bowl was prepared,
and toasts were proposed for those who were starting
* This odometer had been made on board, shortly before starting, out
of the works of an old anemometer. The odometer was fastened
behind the last sledge, and indicated fairly correctly the distance
covered by us.
VOL. II. G
82 Chapter III.
and those who remained behind. It was not until
1 1 o'clock that we crept into our sleeping bags.
There were illuminations in our honour that night on
board the Fram. The electric arc lamp was hoisted on
the main-top, and the electric light for the first time shone
forth over the ice masses of the Polar Sea. Torches
had also been lit, and bonfires of oakum-ends and
other combustibles were burning on several floes around
the Fram and making a brilliant show. Sverdrup had, by
the way, given orders that the electric light or a lantern
should be hoisted on the main-top every night until he
and the others had returned, for fear they might lose
their way if the tracks should be obliterated by bad
weather. It would then be very difficult to find the
ship ; but such a light can be seen a long distance over
these plains, where by merely standing on a hummock
one can easily get a view for many miles round.
I was afraid that the dogs, if they got loose, would
go back to the Fram, and I therefore got two steel-lines
made to which short leashes were fastened, a little
distance apart, so that the dogs could be secured to these
lines between two sticks or sledges. In spite of this
several of the dogs got loose, but strange to say, they
did not leave us, but remained with their comrades and
us. There was of course a doleful howling round the
tents the first night, and they disturbed our sleep to
some extent.
The next morning (Friday, March ist) it took one
We make a Start. 83
of our comrades three hours to make the coffee, beiiiQf
unaccustomed to the apparatus. We had then a very nice
breakfast together. Not before 11.30 a.m. did we get
under way. Our five comrades accompanied us for an hour
or two and then turned to get back to the Frani the same
evening. "It was certainly a most cheerful good-bye,"
says the diary, '' but it is always hard to part even at 84°,
and may be there was a tearful eye or two." The last
thing Sverdrup asked me when sitting on his sledge,
just as we were about to part, was, if I thought I should
go to the South Pole when I got home, for if so he hoped
I would wait till he arrived ; and then he asked me to
give his love to his wife and child.
And so we proceeded, Johansen and I, but it was
slow work for us alone with six sledges, which were
impeded on their way by all sorts of obstacles and
inequalities. Besides this, the ice became rougher,
and it was difficult to get on during the afternoon on
account of the darkness, the days being still very short,
for the sun was not yet above the horizon. We there-
fore camped rather early.
*' Wednesday, March 6th. We are again on board
the Fram to make a fresh start for the third time, and
then, I suppose, it will be in earnest. On Saturday,
March 2nd, we proceeded with the six sledges after
I had been a trip to the northward, and found it
passable. Progress was slow, and we had to do
nearly six turns each, as the sledges stopped everywhere
G 2
84 Chapter III.
and had to be helped along. I saw now too clearly that
we should never get on in this manner ; a change would
have to be made, and I decided to camp in order to have
a look at the ice northward and consider the matter.
Having tied up the dogs, I set out, while Johansen was
to feed the dogs and put up the tent. They were fed
once in every 24 hours, at night, when the day's march
was done.
" I had not gone far when I came upon excellent
spacious plains, good progress could be made, and so far
everything was all right ; but the load had to be diminished
and the number of sledges reduced. Undoubtedly, there-
fore, it would be best to return to the Fram to make the
necessary alterations on board, and get the sledges we
were to take with us further strengthened, so as to have
perfect confidence in their durability.
" We might, of course, have dragged along, somehow,
towards the north for a while, and the load would gradu-
ally have decreased ; but it would have been slow work,
and before the load would be sufficiendy lightened the
dogs would perhaps be worn out. It was cold for them
at night ; we heard many of them howling most of the
night. If, however, we diminished the load, and conse-
quently allowed a shorter time for the journey, it would
be preferable to wait, and not start till a little later in the
month, when we could make more out of the time, as the
days would be lighter and not so cold, and the snow-
surface better. Having spent another night in the tent
We make a Start.
85
— into which it was a hard job to get, dressed in a fur
that was stiff with frost, and then into a bag that was
also hard frozen — I decided next morning (Sunday,
March 3rd) to return to the Fi-ain. I harnessed a
double team of dogs to one of the sledges, and off they
SUNDAY AFTERNOON ON BOARD.
went over pressure-ridges and all other obstacles so
rapidly that I could hardly keep up with them. In a
few hours I covered the same distance which had taken
us three days when we started out. The advantage of
a lighter load was only too apparent.
86 Chapter III
" As I approached the Fram I saw to my surprise the
upper edge of the sun above the ice in the south. It
was the first time this year, but I had not expected it as
yet. It was the refraction caused by the low tempera-
ture which made it visible so soon. The first news I
heard from those who came to meet me was that Hansen
had the previous afternoon taken an observation, which
gave 84° 4' N. lat.
'Mt was undoubtedly very pleasant once more to
stretch my limbs on the sofa in the Franis saloon, to
quench my thirst in delicious lime-juice with sugar, and
again to dine in a civilised manner. In the afternoon
Hansen and Nordahl went back to Johansen with my
team of dogs, to keep him company over-night. When I
left him it was understood that he was to start on the
return journey as best he could, until I came with others to
help him. The dogs lost no time, and the two men reached
Johansen's tent in an hour and twenty minutes. At
night both they and we had rejoicings in honour of the
sun and the 84th degree.
*' The next morning three of us went off and fetched
the sledges back. Now, when we made for the ship, the
dogs dragged much better, and in a short time we should
have been on board had it not been for a long lane in the
Ice which we could see no end to, and which stopped us.
Finally we left the sledges and together with the dogs
managed to cross over on some loose pieces of ice and
got on board. Yesterday we twice tried to fetch the
We make a Start. 87
sledges, but there had evidently been some movement in
the lane, and the new ice was still so thin that we dared
not trust it. We have, however, to-day got the sledges
on board, and we will now for the last time, it is to be
hoped, prepare ourselves for the journey. I will now
plan out the journey so as to take the shortest possible
time, using light sledges and tearing along as fast as
legs and snow-shoes will carry us. We shall be none
the worse for this delay, provided we do not meet too
much pack-ice or too many openings in the ice.
" I have w^eighed all the dogs, and have come to the
conclusion that we can feed them on each other and keep
going for about fifty days ; having, in addition to this, dog
provisions for about thirty days, we ought to be able to
travel with dogs for eighty days, and in that time it
seems to me we should have arrived somewhere. And
besides we have provisions for ourselves for one hundred
days. This will be about 440 lbs. on each sledge if we
take three, and with nine dogs per sledge we ought to
manage it."
So here we were again, busy with preparations and
improvements. In the meantime the ice moved a little,
broke up, and lanes were formed in various directions.
On March 8th I say : — '' The crack in the large floe
to starboard, formed while we were away, opened
yesterday into a broad lane, which we can see stretching
with newly-frozen ice towards the horizon both north and
south. It is odd how that petroleum launch is always
88 Chapter III.
in * hot water ' wherever it is. This crack formed under-
neath it, so it was hanging with the stern over the water,
when they found it in the morning. We have now-
decided to cut it up and use the elm-boards for the sledge
runners. That will be the end of it."
"Wednesday, March 13th. 84° N. lat., 101° 55' E.
long. The days have passed, working again at the
equipment. Everything is now in order. Three sledges
are standing ready out on the ice, properly strengthened
in every way, with iron fastenings between uprights
and cross-bars. These last-mentioned are securely
strengthened with extra top-pieces of ash, and protected
underneath by boards. This afternoon we tried the dogs
with sledges loaded, and they went as easily as could be,
and to-morrow we start again for the last time full ot
courage and confidence, and with the sun up, in the
assurance that we are going towards ever brighter days.
'' To-night there has been a great farewell feast, with
many hearty speeches, and early to-morrow we depart as
early as possible, provided our dissipation has not delayed
us. I have to-night added the following postscript to
Sverdrup's instructions : —
" P.S. — In the foregoing instructions, which I wrote
rather hurriedly on the night of February 25th, I omitted
to mention things that should have been alluded to. I
will restrict myself here to stating further that should you
sight unknown land, everything ought, of course, to be
We make a Start. 89
done in order to ascertain and examine it, as far as cir-
cumstances will permit. Should the Fram drift so near
that you think it can be reached without great risk,
ev^erything that can be done to explore the land would be
of the greatest interest. Every stone, every blade of
grass, lichen, or moss, every animal, from the largest to
the smallest, would be of great importance ; photographs,
and an exact description should not be neglected, at the
same time it should be traversed to the greatest possible
extent, in order to ascertain its coast-line, size, etc. All
such things should, however, only be done, provided
they can be accomplished without danger. If the Fi'am
is adrift in the ice, it is clear that only short excursions
should be made from her, as the members of such
expeditions might encounter great difficulties in reaching
the vessel again. Should the Fram remain stationary
for any time, such expeditions should still be undertaken
only with great discretion, and not be extended
over any great length of time, as no one can foresee
when she mav commence to drift aeain, and it would be
very undesirable for all concerned if the crew of the Fraut
were to be still further reduced.
*' We have so often spoken together about the scien-
tific researches, that I do not consider It necessary to
give any further suggestions here. I am certain that
you will do everything in your power to make them as
perfect as possible, so that the expedition may return
with as good results as the circumstances will permit.
90 Chapter III.
And now once again, my wishes for all possible success,
and may we meet again before long.
'' Your affectionate,
'' Fridtjof Nansen.
'' The Fram, March 13th, 1895."
Before leaving the Frain for good, I ought, perhaps,
to give a short account of the equipment we finally
decided on as the most likely to suit our purposes.
I have already mentioned the two kayaks that
had been made during the course of the winter,
and that we required to have with us in order to
cross possible channels and pools, and also for use
when we should come to open sea. Instead of these
kayaks, I had at first thought of taking ready-made
canvas boat-covers, and of using the sledges as frames to
stretch them over. By this means a craft perfectly
capable of carrying us over lanes and short bits of open
sea could have been rigged up in a very short space of
time. I subsequently gave up this idea, however, and
decided on the kayak, a craft with which I was familiar,
and which I could rely on to render valuable assist-
ance in several respects. Even if we had been able to
contrive a cover for the sledges in such a manner that a
boat could have been got ready in a short space of time,
it would not have been such quick work as simply
launching a ready-made kayak. Added to this the craft
would, necessarily, have been heavy to row, and, when it
We make a Start. 91
was a question of long distances in open water, such as
along the coasts of Franz Josef Land, or across thence
to Spitzbergen, much time would have been lost. One
consideration indeed, and that of some moment, was the
saving in weight if the sledges w^ere made use of; but
even this was not of so much importance as it
seemed, as the covers of both kinds of craft would
have weighed about the same, and what would have
been saved in the weight of the frames was not
much, if one remembers that a whole kayak-frame
only weighs about 16 lbs. Moreover, if kayaks
were used, some weight would be saved by being able to
carry our provisions and other impedimenta in bags of
thin material, which could be stowed away in the
kayaks, and the latter lashed to the sledges. Our
provisions would thus be protected against all risk ot
attack by dogs, or of being cut by sharp pieces of ice.
The other alternative — the canvas cover — which would
have required fitting on and folding up again after being
in the water, would necessarily, in the low temperatures
we had to expect, have become spoiled and leaky. Last,
but not least, the kayak with its tightly-covered deck,
is a most efficient sea-boat, in which one can get along in
any kind of weather, and is also an admirable craft for
shooting and fishing purposes. The boat which one
could have contrived by the other expedient, could with
difficulty have been made at all satisfactory in this
respect.
92 Chapter III.
I have also mentioned the sledges which I had made
for this expedition. They were of the same pattern as
those built for the Greenland one ; somewhat resembling
in shape the Norwegian '' skikjelke,"'"' which is a low»
hand-sledge on broad runners, similar to our ordinary snow-
shoes. But instead of the broad, flat runners we used in
Greenland, I had the runners made in this case about
the same in width (3^ inches), but somewhat convex
underneath, as those to be found on the " skikjelke "
of Osterdalen and elsewhere. These convex runners
proved to move very easily on the kind of country
which we had to travel over, and they enabled the long
sledges to be turned with ease, which was particularly
convenient in the drift-ice, where the many irregularities
often necessitated a very zig-zag route. The runners
were covered with a thin plate of German silver, which,
as it always keeps bright and smooth, and does not rust,
answered its purpose well. As I mentioned before, there
were thin, loose, w^ell tarred, guard-runners of a kind of
maple {acor platonides) underneath the German silver ones.
The sledges were also prepared in various other ways
which have been treated of before, for the heavy loads
they were to carry at the beginning. The result of this
was that they were somewhat heavier than I had intended
at first ; but in return I had the satisfaction of their being
* They were 12 feet long, i foot 9^ inches broad, and rode about
5 inches above the snow.
We make a Start.
93
fit for use during the whole journey, and not once were
we stopped or delayed by their breaking down. This
has hardly been the case with former sledge journeys.
I have referred several times to our clothes, and our trial-
trips in them. Although we had come to the conclusion
that our wolf-skin garments were too warm for travelling
in, we took them with us all the same on our first trip,
and wore them too, to a certain extent ; but we soon
discovered that they were always too warm, and caused
undue perspiration. By absorbing all the moisture of
the body they became so heavy that they made an
appreciable difference in the weight of our loads, and on
our return from our three days' absence from the vessel,
were so wet that they had to be hung for a long time
over the saloon stove to dry. To this was added the
experience that when we took them off in the cold, after
having worn them for a time, they froze so stiff that it
was difficult to get them on again. The result of all
this was that I was not very favourably disposed towards
them, and eventually made up my mind to keep to my
woollen clothes, which I thought would give free outlet
to the perspiration. Johansen followed my example.
Our clothes then came to consist of about the following :
on the upper part of the body two woollen shirts
(Jaeger's) ; outside these I had a camel's-hair coat, and
last of all a thick rough jersey. Instead of the jersey,
Johansen wore what is called on board ship an
" anorak," of thick homespun, provided with a hood.
94 Chapter III.
which he could pull forward in front of his face, and
made after an Eskimo pattern. On our legs we had,
next our skin, woollen drawers, and over these knicker-
bockers and loose gaiters of close Norwegian homespun.
To protect us from wind and fine-driven snow, which,
being of the nature of dust, forces itself into every
pore of a woollen fabric, we wore a suit which has
been mentioned before, made of a thin, close kind of
cotton canvas, and consisting of an upper garment
to pull over the head, provided with a hood in Eskimo
fashion, and a lower one in the shape of a pair of wide
overalls.
An important item in an outfit is the foot-gear. Instead
of wearing long stockings, I preferred to use loose
stocking-legs and socks, as these are easy to dry on
one's chest when asleep at night. On a journey of
this kind, where one is continually travelling over snow
and in a low temperature, whether it be on snowshoes
or not, my experience is that Finn-shoes are, without
doubt, the most satisfactory covering for the feet in
every way, but they must be made of the skin of the
hind-legs of the reindeer buck. They are warm and
strong, are always flexible, and very easy to put on and
take off They require careful management. However,
if they are not to be spoiled at the outset, and one must
try as well as one can to dry them when asleep at night.
If it be sunny and good drying weather outside, the best
plan is to hang them on a couple of snowshoe staffs,
We make a Start.
95
or something of the kind, in the wind outside the tent,
preferably turned inside out, so that the skin itself
can dry quickly. If one does not take this precaution
the hair will soon begin to fall out. In severe cold,
such as we had on the first part of the journey, it was
impossible to dry them in this way, and our only
resource was then to dry them on the feet at night,
after having carefully brushed and scraped them free
from snow and moisture. Then the next process is to
turn them inside out, fill them with " sennegraes " or
sedge, if one have it, thrust one's feet in, and creep
into the sleeping bag with them on."^ For milder
weather later on, we had provided ourselves with
leather boots, of the " komager " type, such as the
Lapps use in summer. In this case they were made
of under-tanned ox-hide, with soles of the skin of the
blue seal {Phoca bar bar a) ; well rubbed in with a
composition of tar and tallow they make a wonderfully
strong and watertight boot, especially for use in wet
weather. Inside the Finn shoes we used, at the beginning
of our journey, this '' sennegraes " (Car'ex cesicaria), of
which we had taken a supply. This is most effective
in keeping the feet dry and warm, and if used Lapp-
wise, i.e., with bare feet, it draws all moisture to itself.
At night the wet " sennegraes " must be removed from
* Compare my description of " finsko " (Finn shoes) in " The First
Crossing of Greenland," pp. 47 and 48.
96 Chapter III.
the boots, well pulled out with the fingers so that it
does not cling together, and then dried during the night
by being worn inside the coat or trouser-leg. In the
morning it will be about dry, and can be pressed into
the boots again. Little by little, however, it becomes
used up, and if it is to last out a long journey a good
supply must be taken.
We also had with us socks made of sheep's wool
and human hair, which were both warm and durable.
Then, too, we took squares of " vadmel " or Norwegian
homespun, such as are used in our army, which we wore
(particularly myself) inside our '' komager " on the latter
part of the journey, when the snow was w^et. They are
comfortable to wear and easy to dry, as one can spread
them out under one's coat or trousers at niorht.
On our hands we wore laro^e o-loves of wolf-skin, in
addition to ordinary woollen mittens underneath, neither
of them having separate divisions for the fingers.
Exactly the same drying process had to be gone through
with the gloves as with the foot-gear. Altogether the
warmth of one's unfortunate body, which is the only
source of heat one has for this sort of work, is chiefly
expended in the effort to dry one's various garments ; and
we spent our nights in wet compresses, in order that the
morrow might pass in a little more comfort.
On our heads we wore felt hats, which shaded the eyes
from the dazzling light, and were less pervious to the
wind than an ordinary woollen cap. Outside the hat we
We make a Start.
97
generally had one or two hoods of cloth. By this means
we could regulate the warmth of our heads to a certain
extent, and this is no unimportant thing.
It had been my original intention to use light one-man
sleeping-bags, made of the skin of the reindeer calf. As
these, however, proved to be insufficiently warm, I had to
resort to the same principle we went on in Greenland,
i.e., a double bag of adult reindeer skin ; a considerable
increase of warmth is thus attained by the fact that the
occupants warm each other. Furthermore, a bag for two
men is not a little lighter than two single bags. An
objection has been raised to joint bags on the score that
one's night's rest is apt to be disturbed, but this I have
not found to be the case.
Something which in my opinion ought not to be
omitted from a sledge journey is a tent. Even if thin
and frail, it affords the members of an expedition so
much protection and comfort that the inconsiderable
increase in weight to the equipment is more than
compensated for. The tents which I had had made for
the expedition were of strong undressed silk and very
light. They were square at the base and pointed at
the top, and were pitched by means only of a tent pole
in the middle, on the same principle as the four-man
tents used in our army. Most of them had canvas
floors attached. On our first start we took with us
a tent of this kind, intended to hold four men and
weighing a little over 7 lbs. The floor is a certain
VOL. II. H
98 Chapter III.
advantage, as it makes the whole tent compact and
quick to put up, besides being more impervious to
wind. The whole tent is sewn in one piece, walls and
floor together, and the only opening is a little slit through
which to crawl. One drawback, however, to it is, that
it is almost impossible not to carry in with one a
certain amount of snow on the feet. This melts during
the night from the heat of one's body lying on it and
the floor absorbs the moisture, thereby causing the tent
to be always a good deal heavier than the figures given
here.
I accordingly relinquished all idea of a tent of this
kind, and took with me one of about the same
dimensions, and of the same silk material as the other,
but without a floor. It took a little longer to put
up, but the difference was not great. The walls were
kept down by pegs, and when all was finished we would
bank it carefully round with snow to exclude w^ind and
draughts. Then came the actual pitching of the tent,
which was accomplished by crawling in through the
entrance and poking it up with a snowshoe-staff, which
also served as tent-pole. It weighed a fraction over
3 lbs., including sixteen pegs, lasted the whole journey
through — that is to say, until the autumn — and was
always a cherished place of refuge.
The cooking apparatus we took with us had the
advantage of utilising to the utmost the fuel consumed.
With it we were able, in a very short space of time, to
We make a Start. 99
cook food and simultaneously to melt an abundance of
drinking water, so that both in the morning and in the
evening we were able to drink as much as we wished, and
even a surplus remained. The apparatus consisted of
two boilers and a vessel for melting snow or ice in, and
was constructed in the following manner : — Inside a ring-
shaped vessel was placed the boiler, while underneath
this again was the lamp. The entire combustion output
was thus forced to mount into the space between the
boiler and the ring-shaped vessel. Over this was a tight-
fitting lid with a hole in the middle, through which the hot
air was obliged to pass before it could penetrate farther and
reach the bottom of a flat snow-melter, which was placed
above it. Then, after having delivered some part of its
heat, the air was forced down again on the outside of the
ring-shaped vessel by the help of a mantle, or cap, which
surrounded the whole. Here it parted with its last
remaining warmth to the outerside of the ring-vessel^
and finally escaped, almost entirely cooled, from the lower
edge of the mantle.
For the heating was used a Swedish gas-petroleum
lamp, known as " the Primus," in which the heat turns
the petroleum into gas before it is consumed. By this
means it renders the combustion unusually complete.
Numerous experiments made by Professor Torup at his
laboratory proved that the cooker in ordinary circum-
stances yielded 90 to 93 per cent, of the heat which the
petroleum consumed should, by combustion, theoretically
II 2
lOO
Chapter III
evolve. A more satisfactory result, I think, it would be
difficult to obtain. The vessels in this cooker were
made of German silver, while the lid, outside cap, etc.,
THE COOKING APPARATUS.
were of aluminium. Together with two tin mugs, two
tin spoons, and a tin ladle, it weighed exactly 8 lbs. 1 3 ozs.,
while the lamp, the '' Primus," weighed 4 J ozs.
We make a Start. loi
As fuel, my choice this time fell on petroleum ('' snow-
flake "). Alcohol, which has generally been used before
on Arctic expeditions, has several advantages, and, in
particular, is easy to burn. One decided drawback to it,
however, is the fact that it does not by any means
generate as much heat in comparison with its weight as
petroleum when the latter is entirely consumed, as was
the case with the lamp used by us. As I was afraid
that petroleum might freeze, I had a notion of employing
gas-oil, but gave up the idea, as it escapes so easily that
it is difficult to preserve, and is, moreover, very explosive.
We had no difficulties with our " snowflake " petroleum
on account of the cold. We took with us rather more
than 4 gallons, and this quantity lasted us 120 days,
enabling us to cook two hot meals a day and melt an
abundance of water.
Of snowshoes we took several pairs, as w^e had to be
prepared for breakages in the uneven drift-ice ; besides
this they would probably get considerably worn in the
summer-time when the snow became wet and granular.
Those we took with us were particularly tough, and slid
readily. They were, for the most part, of the same kind
of maple as the sledges, and of birch and hickory. They
had all been well rubbed in with a concoction of tar,
stearine, and tallow.
As we calculated to subsist, in a measure, on what we
could shoot ourselves, it was necessary for us to have
fire-arms. The most important gun for this kind of
I02 Chapter III.
work is, naturally, the rifle ; but as, in all likelihood, we
should have to go across large expanses of snow, where,
probably, there would be little big game, and whereas, on
the other hand, birds might very likely come flying over
our heads, I thought shot-guns would be the most
serviceable to us. Therefore we decided on the same
equipment in this respect as we had in Greenland. We
took with us two double-barrelled guns (Blichsflints) ;
each of them having a shot-barrel of 20-bore and a barrel
for ball (Express) of about '360 calibre. Our supply of
ammunition consisted of about 180 rifle cartridges and
1 50 shot cartridges.
Our instruments for determining our position and for
working sights were : a small light theodolite, specially
constructed for the purpose, which, with its case (this
I had also had made to act as a stand) only weighed
a little over two pounds. We had, furtherrjiore, a pocket
sextant and an artificial glass horizon, a light azimuth
compass of aluminium, and a couple of other compasses.
For the meteorological observations we had a couple of
aneroid barometers, two minimum spirit-thermometers,
and three quicksilver sling- thermometers. In addition to
these we had a good aluminium telescope, and also a
photographic camera.
The most difficult, but also, perhaps, the most
important, point in the equipment of a sledge-expedition
is thoroughly good and adequate victualling. I have
already mentioned, in the Introduction to this book, that
We make a Start. 103
the first and foremost object is to protect oneself against
scurvy and other maladies by the choice of foods, which,
through careful preparation and sterilisation, are assured
against decomposition. On a sledge expedition of this
kind, where so much attention must be paid to the
weight of the equipment, it is hardly possible to take any
kinds of provisions except those whose weight has
been reduced as much as possible by careful and com-
plete drying. As, however, meat and fish are not so
easily digested when dried, it is no unimportant thing to
have them in a pulverised form. The dried food is, in
this manner, so finely distributed that it can, with equal
facility, be digested and received into the organism.
This preparation of meat and fish was, therefore, the
only kind we took with us. The meat was muscular
beef, taken from the ox, and freed from all fat, gristle,
etc. ; it was then dried as quickly as possible, in a
completely fresh condition, and thereupon ground and
mixed with the same proportion of beef suet as is used in
the ordinary preparation of pemmican. This form of
food, which has been used for a considerable time on
sledge expeditions, has gained for itself much esteem,
and rightly ; if well prepared, as ours was, it is undeni-
ably a nourishing and easily digested food."^ One ought
* I had also had prepared a large quantity of pemmican, consisting
of equal parts of meat-powder and vegetable fat (from the cocoa-nut).
This pemmican, however, proved to be rather an unfortunate inven-
tion ; even the dogs would not eat it after they had tasted it once or
104 Chapter III.
not, however, to trust to its always being harmless, for,
if carelessly prepared, i.e., slowly or imperfectly dried, it
may also be very injurious to the health.
Another item of our provisions, by which we set
great store, was Vage's fish flour. It is well prepared
and has admirable keeping qualities ; if boiled in water
and mixed with flour and butter or dried potatoes, it
furnishes a very appetising dish. Another point which
should be attended to is that the food be of such a kind
that it can be eaten without cooking. Fuel is part of an
equipment, no doubt, but if for some reason or other this
be lost or used up, one would be in a bad case indeed,
had one not provided against such a contingency by
taking food which could be eaten in spite of that. In
order to save fuel, too, it is important that the food
should not require cooking, but merely warming. The
flour that we took with us had therefore been steamed
and could, if necessary, have been eaten as it was, with-
out further preparation. Merely brought to a boil it
made a good hot dish. We also took dried boiled
potatoes, pea-soup, chocolate vril-food, etc. Our bread
was partly carefully-dried wheaten biscuits, and partly
aleuronate bread, which I had caused to be made of
wheat-flour mixed with about 30 per cent, of aleuronate
flour (vegetable albumen).
twice. Perhaps this is accounted for by the fact that vegetable fat is
heavily digested, and contains acids which irritate the mucous membranes
of the stomach and throat.
We make a Start. 105
We also took with us a considerable quantity of butter
{S6 lbs.) which had been well worked on board in order
to get out all superfluous water. By this means not only
was considerable w^eight saved, but the butter did not
become so hard in the cold. On the whole it must be
said that our menus included considerable variety, and
we were never subjected to that sameness of food
which former sledge expeditions have complained so
much of. Finally we always had ravenous appetites,
and always thought our meals as delicious as they could
be.
Our medicine-chest consisted, on this occasion, of a
little bag, containing, naturally, only the most absolutely
necessary drugs, etc. Some splints and some ligatures,
and plaster of Paris bandages, for possible broken legs
and arms ; aperient pills and laudanum for derangements
of the stomach, which were never required ; chloroform
in case of an amputation, for example, from frost-bite ; a
couple of small glasses of cocaine in solution for snow-
blindness (also unused) ; drops for toothache, carbolic
acid, iodoform gauze, a couple of curved needles, and
some silk for sewing up wounds ; a scalpel, two artery
tweezers (also for amputations), and a few other sundries.
Happily our medicines were hardly ever required, except
that the ligatures and bandages came in very handily
the following winter as wicks for our train-oil lamps.
Still better for this purpose, however, is Nicolaysen's
plaster, of which we had taken a supply for possible
io6
Chapter III.
broken collar-bones. The layer of wax we scraped
carefully off, and found it most satisfactory for caulking
our leaky kayaks.
LIST OF THE EQUIPMENT.
Sledge No. i (with Nansen's Kayak).
Kayak
Pump (for pumping kayaks in case of
leakage)
Sail
Axe and geological hammer
Gun and case
Two small wooden rods belonging to cooker
Theodolite and case ....
Three reserve cross-pieces for sledges .
Some pieces of wood ....
Harpoon line
Fur-gaiters ....
Five balls of cord ....
Cooker, with two mugs, ladle, and two spoons
Petroleum lamp (Primus) .
Pocket-flask . . . . .
Bag, with sundry articles of clothing .
Blanket
Jersey
Finn-shoes filled with grass.
Cap for fitting over opening in kayak .
One pair " komager "...
Two pair kayak gloves and one harpoon
and line
One waterproof sealskin kayak overcoat
Tool-bag
Lbs.
ozs.
Kilos.
41
2
i8-7
I
2
o'5
I
9
o'7
I
5
06
7
4
33
0
14
0-4
4
13
22
2
0
0-9
0
II
o'3
0
8-4
0*24
I
3
0-55
2
9
117
8
13
4-0
0
4i
Q- I
0
6
0-17
8
13
4-0
4
6
2-0
2
8
115
3
I
1-4
0
7
0*2
2
I
0-95
1
5
06
3
I
14
2
10
I 2
We make a Start.
107
Sledge No. i — continued.
Lbs. ozs. Kilos.
r
Bag of sewing materials, including sail-
maker's palm, sail needles, and other
sundries. ....
Three Norwegian flags
Medicines, &c. . . . .
Photographic camera .
One cassette and one tin box of films
One wooden cup
One rope (for lashing kayak to sledge)
Pieces of reindeer-skin to prevent kayaks
from chafing ....
Wooden shovel ....
Snowshoe-staff with disc at bottom
One bamboo staff
Two oak staffs ....
Seven reserve dog harnesses and two reserve
hauling ropes ....
One coil of rope
Four bamboo poles, for masts and for steer-
ing sledges ....
One bag of bread
„ whey-powder .
sugar
,, albuminous flour
„ lime-juice tablets
,, Frame-food stamina tablets
As boat's grips, upon the sledges, were : —
Three sacks of pemmican (together) . 238
One sack " leverpostei " or " pate," made
of calf s liver
2
10
I 2
0
4
O* I
4
15
2-25
4
10
2" I
3
14
i'75
0
3
o-o8
2
0
09
3
15
1-8
2
3
10
I
9
0-7
I
0
o*45
2
10
I 2
2
10
1 2
0
6
o-i8
8
13
4-0
5
15
2'7
3
5
i'5
2
3
I 0
I
12
0-8
I
10
073
2
7
I • I
^5
108 '2
42-7
o8
Chapter III
Sledge No. 2. On this was carried in strong sacks
Lbs.
ozs.
Kilos.
Albuminous flour ....
14
15
6-8
Wheat flour
15
6
70
Whey-powder
16
15
7'7
Cornflour .
8
13
4-0
Sugar
7
I
3'2
Vrilfood .
31
4
14-2
Australian pemmican
13
0
5-9
Chocolate .
12
12
5-8
Oatmeal .
II
0
5-0
Dried red whortleberries
0
14
0-4
Two sacks of white bread (together) .
69
5
31-5
One sack of aleuronate bread
46
10
212
" Special food " (a mixture of pea-flour
meat-powder, fat, &c.) .
6S
13
29*0
Butter
85
13
390
Fish-flour (Vage's) ....
34
2
15-5
Dried potatoes
15
3
6-9
One reindeer-skin sleeping bag .
19
13
9-0
Two steel-wire ropes, with couples foi
twenty-eight dogs ....
II
0
5-0
One pair hickory snow-shoes
II
0
5"^
Weight of sledge
.
43
5
19-7
Sledge No. 3 (with Johansen's Kayak).
Lbs. ozs.
Kayak . 41 6
Two pieces of reindeer-skin, to prevent
chafing . . . . . . . I 12
A supply of dog shoes ....13
One Eskimo shooting-sledge with sail (in-
tended for possible seal-shooting on the
ice) I 10
Kilos.
i8-8
0-8
^'55
o"73
We make a Start.
109
Sledge No. 3 — conti?iued.
Two sledge sails ....
Pump ......
Oar-blades (made of canvas stretched
frames, and intended to be lashed to the
snowshoe-staffs) ....
Gun
Flask
Net (for catching Crustacea in the sea)
One pair " komager "...
Waterproof kayak overcoat of sealskin
Fur -gaiters .....
Two reserve pieces of wood
Two tins of petroleum (about 5 gallons)
Several reserve snow-shoe fastenings .
Lantern for changing plates, &c.
Artificial glass horizon
Bag with cords and Nautical Almanack
Pocket sextant .....
Two packets of matches
One reserve sheet of German silver (for re
paving plates under sledge-runners)
Pitch
Two minimum thermometers in cases.
Three quicksilver thermometers in cases
One compass
One aluminium compass
„ telescope .
" Sennegraes " or sedge for Finn-shoes
Bag with cartridges ....
Leather pouch with reserve shooting re-
quisites, parts for gun-locks, reserve
cocks, balls, powder, &c.
Lbs.
ozs.
Kilos.
2
10
I '2
0
1
14
0-4
e
1
2
o'5
7
2-7
326
0
59
0-17
0
5-2
o"i5
I
15-7
09
2
3
I 0
0
73
021
0
9-8
0-28
40
0-6
i8-2
0
^51
0-43
I
I 2
0-49
0
IO'2
0*29
0
4-6
0-13
0
13-7
039
0
137
039
0
7'4
0"2I
0
3"5
O* I
0
7*4
0-2I
0
4*9
o" 14
0
8-8
0-25
0
8-4
0'24
II
8-6
0-7
0
7
0"2
26
I
11-85
i'4
no
Chapter III
Sledge No. 3 — continued.
Lbs. ozs. Kilos.
Leather pouch with glass bottle, one spoon,
and five pencils
0
io'6
03
■Rag with navigation tables,
Nautical
Almanack, cards, &c.
, ,
2
7
I 1
Tin box with diaries, letters, photographs,
observation-journals, &c.
.
3
10
.•6s
One cap for covering hole in
deck of
"kayak" ....
0
8
0*23
One sack of meat-chocolate
17
10
8-0
One bag of soups
6
10
3-0
„ cocoa
7
6
3'35
„ fish-flour .
3
12
1-70
„ wheat-flour
2
0
0*90
,, chocolate
4
6
2*0
„ oatmeal .
4
6
2 0
„ vril-food .
4
6
2-0
As grips upon the sledge were : —
One sack of oatmeal
29
I
132
„ pemmican .
115
I
52 3
liver "pate"
[II
12
50-8
A list of our dogs and their weights on starting may-
be of interest : —
Lbs.
Kilos.
Kvik 78
35'7
Freia .
50
22-7
Barbara
49i
22-5
Suggen
6ii
28-0
Flint .
. 59i
27-0
Barrabas
61
28-0
Gulen .
6oi
27-5
Haren .
6ii-
28-0
We make a Start.
1 1 1
List of Dogs
and their \N eights— continued.
Lbs.
Kilos.
Barnet ... -39
177
Sultan
68
31-0
Klapperslangen
.
. 594
27-0
Blok
.
59
26-7
Bjelki .
38
17-3
Sjoliget
.
40
i8-o
Katta .
. 454
20-7
Narrifas
.
46
21 "O
Livjaegeren
.
384
17-5
Potifar
.
57
26*0
Storraeven .
.
70
31 -8
Isbjon
.
614
28-0
Lilleraeven .
,
59
26-7
Kvindfolket
.
57
26-0
Perpetuum .
63
28-6
Baro .
.
604
27-5
Russen
.
58
26-5
Kaifas
69
31-5
Ulenka
.
57
260
Pan .
.
65
295
CHAPTER IV.
Wp: say Good-bye to the *' Fram.
At last by mid-day, on March 14th, we finally left the
Fram, to the noise of a thundering salute. For the third
time farewells and mutual good wishes were exchanged.
Some of our comrades came a little way with us, but
Sverdrup soon turned back in order to be on board for
dinner at i o'clock. It was on the top of a hummock
that we two said good-bye to each other ; the Fram
was lying behind us, and I can remember how I stood
watching him as he strode easily homewards on his snow-
shoes. I half wished I could turn back with him and
find myself again in the warm saloon ; I knew only too
well that a life of toil lay before us, and that it would be
many a long day before we should again sleep and eat
under a comfortable roof ; but that that time was going
to be so long as it really proved to be, none of us then
had any idea. We all thought that either the expedi-
tion would succeed, and that we should return home that
same year, or — that it would not succeed.
Our Sledge Journey. 113
A little while after Sverdrup had left us, Mogstad
also found it necessary to turn back. He had thought of
going with us till the next day, but his heavy w^olf-skin
trousers were, as he un-euphemistically expressed it,
" almost full of sweat, and he must go back to the fire on
board to get dry." Hansen, Henriksen, and Pettersen
were then the only ones left, and they laboured along-
each with his load on his back. It was difficult for them
to keep up with us on the flat ice, so quickly did w^e
go ; but when we came to pressure-ridges we were
brought to a standstill and the sledges had to be
helped over. At one place the ridge was so bad
that we had to carry the sledges a long way. When,
after considerable trouble, we had managed to get
over it, Peter shook his head reflectively, and said
to Johansen that we should meet plenty more of the
same kind, and have enough hard work before we had
eaten sufficient of the loads to make the sledges run
lightly. Just here we came upon a long stretch of bad
ice, and Peter became more and more concerned for our
future ; but towards evening matters improved, and we
advanced more rapidly. When we stopped at 6 o'clock
the odometer registered a good 7 miles, which was not so
bad for a first day's work. We had a cheerful evening
in our tent, which was just about big enough to hold all
five. Pettersen, who had exerted himself and become
overheated on the way, shivered and groaned while the
dogs were being tied up and fed, and the tent pitched.
VOL. 11. I
1 14 Chapter IV.
He, however, found existence considerably brighter
when he sat inside it, in his warm wolf-skin clothes, with
a pot of smoking chocolate before him, a big lump of
butter in one hand and a biscuit in the other, and
exclaimed, '' Now I am living like a prince." He there-
after discoursed at length on the exalting thought that
he was sitting in a tent in the middle of the Polar Sea.
Poor fellow, he had begged and prayed to be allowed
to come with us on this expedition ; he would cook for
us and make himself generally useful, both as a tin and
blacksmith ; and then, he said, three would be company.
I regretted that I could not take more than one com-
panion, and he had been in the depths of woe for several
days, but now found comfort in the fact that he had, at
any rate, come part of the way with us, and was out on
this great desert sea, for, as he said, '* not many people
have done that."
The others had no sleeping - bag with them, so
they made themselves a cosy little hut of snow, into
which they crawled in their wolf-skin garments, and had
a tolerably good night. I was awake early the next
morning ; but when I crept out of the tent I found that
somebody else was on his legs before me, and this was
Pettersen, who, awakened by the cold, was now walking
up and down to warm his stiffened limbs. He had tried
it now, he said ; he never should have thought it possible
to sleep in the snow, but it had not been half bad. He
would not quite admit that he had been cold, and that
Our Sledge Journey. 115
that was the reason why he had turned out so early.
Then we had our last pleasant breakfast together, got
the sledges ready, harnessed the dogs, shook hands with
our companions, and, without many words being uttered
on either side, started out into solitude. Peter shook
his head sorrowfully as we went off I turned round
when we had gone some little way, and saw his figure on
the top of the hummock ; he was still looking after us.
His thoughts were probably sad ; perhaps he believed
that he had spoken to us for the last time.
We found large expanses of flat ice, and covered
the ground quickly, farther and farther away from our
comrades, into the unknown, where we two alone and
the does were to wander for months. The Fra^ns
rigging had disappeared long ago behind the margin of
the ice. We often came on piled-up ridges and uneven
ice, where the sledges had to be helped and sometimes
carried over. It often happened, too, that they capsized
altogether, and it was only by dint of strenuous hauling
that we righted them again. Somewhat exhausted by all
this hard work, we stopped finally at 6 o'clock in the
evening, and had then gone about 9 miles during the
day. They were not quite the marches I had reckoned
on, but we hoped that by degrees the sledges would
become lighter, and the ice better to travel over. The
latter, too, seems to have been the case at first. On
Sunday, March 17th, I say in my diary: "The ice
appears to be more even the farther north we get ; came
I 2
1 i6 Chapter IV.
across a lane, however, yesterday which necessitated a
long detour." At half-past six we had done about 9
miles. As we had just reached a good camping-ground,
and the dogs were tired, we stopped. Lowest tempera-
ture last night, — 45° Fahr. (- 42-8'' C.)."
The ice continued to become more even during the
following days, and our marches often amounted to 14
miles or more in the day. Now and then a misfortune
might happen which detained us, as, for instance, one
day a sharp spike of ice which was standing up cut a
hole in a sack of fish-flour, and all the delicious food ran
out. It took us more than an hour to collect it all
again, and repair the damages. Then the odometer got
broken through being jammed in some uneven ice, and
it took some hours to mend it by a process of lashing.
But on we went northwards, often over great, wide ice-
plains which seemed as if they must stretch right to the
Pole. Sometimes it happened that we passed through
places where the ice was "unusually massive, with high
hummocks, so that it looked like undulating country
covered with snow." This was undoubtedly very old
■^ It was not advisable for many reasons to cross the lanes in the
kayaks, now that the temperature was so low. Even if the water in
the lanes had not nearly always been covered with a more or less thick
layer of ice, the kayaks would have become much heavier from the
immediate freezing of the water which would have entered them, for
they proved to be not absolutely impervious ; and this ice we had then
no means of dislodging.
M 5
o -r
Our Sledge Journey. 1 1 7
ice, which had drifted in the Polar Sea for a loner time
o
on its way from the Siberian Sea to the east coast of
Greenland, and must have been subjected year after
year to severe pressure. High hummocks and mounds
are thus formed, which summer after summer are partially
melted by the rays of the sun, and again in the winters
covered with great drifts of snow, so that they assume
forms which resemble ice-hills, rather than piles of sea-ice
resulting from upheaval.
Wednesday, March 20th, my diary says : " Beautiful
weather for travelling in, with fine sunsets ; but some-
what cold, particularly in the bag, at nights (it was
-41-8° and -43-6° Fahr., or -41° and 42° C). The
ice appears to be getting more even the farther we
advance, and in some places it is like travelling over
'inland-ice.' If this goes on the whole thing will be
done in no time." That day we lost our odometer,
and as w^e did not find it out till some time afterwards,
and I did not know how far we might have to go back, I
thought it was not worth while to return and look for.
It was the cause, however, of our only bemg able
subsequently to guess approximately at the distance we
had gone during the day. We had another mishap, too,
that day. This was that one of the dogs (it was
" Livjsegeren ") had become so ill that he could not be
driven any longer, and we had to let him go loose.
It was late in the day before we discovered that he was
not with us ; he had stopped behind at our camping-
1 1 8 Chapter IV.
o^round when we broke up in the morning, and I had to
go back after him on snow-shoes, which caused a long
delay.
''Thursday, March 21st. Nine in the morning
— 43*6° Fahr., or — 42° C. (Minimum in the night,
— 47*2° Fahr., or — 44° C.) Clear, as it has been every
day. Beautiful, bright weather ; glorious for travelling
in, but somewhat cold at nights, with the quicksilver
continually frozen. Patching Finn-shoes in this tempera-
ture inside the tent, with one's nose slowly freezing
away, is not all pure enjoyment."
'* Friday, March 22nd. Splendid ice for getting over ;
things go better and better. Wide expanses, with a
few pressure-ridges now and then, but passable every-
where. Kept at it yesterday from about half-past
eleven in the morning to half-past eight at night,
did a good 21 miles, I hope. We should be in about
latitude 85°. The only disagreeable thing to face now
is the cold. Our clothes are transformed more and more
into a cuirass of ice during the day, and wet bandages
at night. The blankets likewise. The sleeping bag-
gets heavier and heavier from the moisture which freezes
on the hair inside. The same clear settled weather
every day. We are both longing now for a change ; a
few clouds and a little more mildness would be welcome."
The temperature in the night, —44-8° Fahr. ( — 427° C).
By an observation which I took later in the forenoon,
our latitude that day proved to be 85° 9' N.
Our Sledge Journey. 119
''Saturday, March 23rd. On account of observation,
lashing the loads on the sledges, patching bags, and
other occupations of a like kind, which are no joke in
this low temperature, we did not manage to get off
yesterday before 3 o'clock in the afternoon. We stuck
to it till nine in the evening, when we stopped in some
of the worst ice we have seen lately. Our day's march,
however, had lain across several large tracts of level ice,
so I think that we made 14 miles or so all the same.
We have the same brilliant sunshine ; but yesterday
afternoon the wind from the north-east, which we have
had for the last few days, increased, and made it rather
raw.
'* We passed over a large frozen pool yesterday even-
ing ; it looked almost like a large lake." It could not
have been long since this was formed, as the ice on it
was still quite thin. It is wonderful that these pools can
form up there at that time of the year.
From this time forward there was an end of the Hat
ice, which it had been simple enjoyment to travel over ;
and now we had often great difficulties to cope with. On
Sunday, March 24th, I write : — '' Ice not so good ; yester-
day was a hard day, but we made a few miles, not more,
though, than seven, I am afraid. This continual lifting of
the heavily-loaded sledges is calculated to break one's
back ; but better times are coming, perhaps. The cold is
also appreciable, always the same ; but yesterday it was
increased by the admixture of considerable wind from
I20 Chapter IV
the north-east. We halted about half-past nine in the
evening. It is perceptible how the days lengthen, and
how much later the sun sets ; in a few days' time we shall
have the midnight sun.
*' We killed ' Livjaegeren ' yesterday evening, and hard
work it was skinning him." This was the first dog which
had to be killed ; but many came afterwards, and it was
some of the most disagreeable work we had on the
journey, particularly now at the beginning when it was
so cold. When this first dog was dismembered and
given to the others, many of them went supperless the
whole night in preference to touching the meat. But as
the days went by and they became more worn-out, they
learned to appreciate dog's-flesh, and later on we were not
even so considerate as to skin the butchered animal, but
served it hair and all.
The following day the ice was occasionally somewhat
better ; but as a rule it was bad, and we became more
and more worn-out with the never-ending work of
helping the dogs, righting the sledges every time they
capsized, and hauling, or carrying them bodily over
hummocks and inequalities of the ground. Sometimes
we were so sleepy in the evenings that our eyes shut and
we fell asleep as we went along. My head would drop, and
I would be awakened by suddenly falling forward on my
snow-shoes. Then we would stop, after having found a
camping-ground behind a hummock or ridge of ice,
where there was some shelter from the w^ind. While
Our Sledge Journey. 121
Johansen looked after the dogs, it generally fell to my lot to
pitch the tent, fill the cooker with ice, light the burner
and start the supper as quickly as possible. This
generally consisted of 'Mobscouse" one day, made of
pemmican and dried potatoes ; another day of a sort of
fish rissole substance known as "fiskegratin" in Norway,
and in this case composed of fish-meal, flour, and butter.
A third day it would be pea, bean, or lentil soup,
with bread and pemmican. Johansen preferred the
"lobscouse," while I had a weakness for the ''fiskegratin."
As time went by, however, he came over to my way of
thinking, and the '' fiskegratin " took precedence of
everything else.
As soon as Johansen had finished with the dogs, and
the different receptacles containing the ingredients and
eatables for breakfast and supper were brought in, as well
as our bags with private necessities ; the sleeping-bags
were spread out, the tent-door carefully shut, and we
crept into the bag to thaw our clothes. This was not
very agreeable work. During the course of the day the
damp exhalations of the body had little by little become
condensed in our outer garments, which were now a mass
of ice and transformed into complete suits of ice-armour.
They were so hard and stiff that if we had only been
able to get them off they could have stood by themselves,
and they crackled audibly every time we moved. These
clothes were so stiff that the sleeve of my coat actually
rubbed deep sores in my wrists during our marches ; one
122 Chapter IV.
of these sores — the one on the right hand — got frost-
bitten, the wound grew deeper and deeper, and nearly
reached the bone. I tried to protect it with bandages,
but not until late in the summer did it heal, and I shall
probably have the scar for life. When we got into
our sleeping-bags in the evening, our clothes began to
thaw slowly, and on this process a considerable amount
of physical heat was expended. We packed ourselves
tight into the bag, and lay with our teeth chattering
for an hour, or an hour and a half, before we became
aware of a little of the warmth in our bodies which
we so sorely needed. At last our clothes became wet
and pliant only to freeze again a few minutes after we
had turned out of the bag in the morning. There was
no question of getting these clothes dried on the journey
so long as the cold lasted, as more and more moisture
from the body collected in them.
How cold we were as we lay there shivering in the
bag, waiting for the supper to be ready! I, who was
cook, was obliged to keep myself more or less awake to
see to the culinary operations, and sometimes I succeeded.
At last the supper was ready, was portioned out and, as
always, tasted delicious. These occasions were the
supreme moments of our existence, moments to which we
looked forward the whole day long. But sometimes we
were so weary that our eyes closed, and we fell asleep
with the food on its way to our mouths. Our hands
would fall back inanimate with the spoons in them and
Our Sledge Journey. 123
the food i\y out on the bag. After supper we generally
permitted ourselves the luxury of a little extra drink,
consisting of water, as hot as we could swallow it, in
which whey-powder had been dissolved. It tasted
something like boiled milk, and we thought it wonderfully
comforting ; it seemed to warm us to the very ends of
our toes. Then we would creep down into the bag
again, buckle the flap carefully over our heads, lie close
together, and soon sleep the sleep of the just. But even
in our dreams we went on ceaselessly, grinding at the
sledges and driving the dogs, always northwards, and I
was often awakened by hearing Johansen calling in his
sleep to "Pan," or " Barrabas," or " Klapperslangen " :
"Get on, you devil, you! Go on, you brutes! Sass,
sass 1"^ Now the whole thing is going over ! " and
execrations less fit for reproduction, until I went to sleep
again.
In the morning, as cook, I was obliged to turn out to
prepare the breakfast, which took an hour's time. As a
rule, it consisted one morning of chocolate, bread, butter,
and pemmican ; another of oatmeal porridge, or a com-
pound of flour, water, and butter, in imitation of our
" butter-porridge " at home. This was washed down
with milk, made of whey-powder and water. The
breakfast ready, Johansen was roused ; we sat up in
the sleeping-bag, one of the blankets was spread out as
* Used by the Lapps to their dogs. — Travis.
124 Chapter IV.
a table-cloth, and we fell to work. We had a com-
fortable breakfast, wrote up our diaries, and then had to
think about starting. But how tired we sometimes were,
and how often would I not have given anything to be
able to creep to the bottom of the bag again and
sleep the clock round. It seemed to me as if this
must be the greatest pleasure in life, but our business
was to fight our way northwards, always northwards.
We performed our toilets, and then came the going
out into the cold to get the sledges ready, disentangle the
dogs' traces, harness the animals, and get off as quickly
as possible. I went first to find the way through the
uneven ice, then came the sledge with my kayak. The
dogs soon learned to follow, but at every unevenness of
the ground they stopped, and if one could not get them
all to start again at the same time by a shout, and so pull
the sledge over the difficulty, one had to go back to
beat or help them, according as circumstances neces-
sitated. Then came Johansen with the two other sledges,
always shouting to the dogs to pull harder, always
beating them, and himself hauling to get the sledges
over the terrible ridges of ice. It was undeniable
cruelty to the poor animals from first to last, and one
must often look back on it with horror. It makes me
shudder even now when I think of how we beat them
mercilessly with thick ash sticks when, hardly able to
move, they stopped from sheer exhaustion. It made
one's heart bleed to see them, but we turned our eyes
Our Sledge Journey. 125
away and hardened ourselves. It was necessary ; for-
ward we must go, and to this end everything else must
give place. It is the sad part of expeditions of this kind
that one systematically kills all better feelings, until only
hard-hearted eg^oism remains. When I think of all those
splendid animals, toiling for us without a murmur, as long
as they could strain a muscle, never getting any thanks or
even so much as a kind word, daily writhing under the lash
until the time came when they could do no more and death
freed them from their pangs — when I think of how they
were left behind, one by one, up there on those desolate
ice-fields, which had been witness to their faithfulness
and devotion, I have moments of bitter self-reproach.
It took us two alone such a long- time to pitch
the tent, feed the dogs, cook, etc., in the evening,
and then break up again and get ready in the morning,
that the days never seemed long enough if we were to
do proper day's marches, and, besides, get the sleep we
required at night. But when the nights became so light,
it was not so necessary to keep regular hours any longer,
and we started when we pleased, whether it was night or
day. We stopped, too, w^hen it suited us, and took the
sleep which might be necessary for ourselves and the
dogs. I tried to make it a rule that our marches
were to be of nine or ten hours' duration. In the
middle of the day we generally had a rest and some-
thing to eat ; as a rule bread and butter, with a little
pemmican or liver pate. These dinners were a
126 Chapter IV.
bitter trial. We used to try and find a good sheltered
place, and sometimes even rolled ourselves up in our
blankets, but all the same the wind cut right through us
as we sat on the sledges eating our meal. Sometimes,
again, we spread the sleeping-bag out on the ice, took
our food with us, and crept well in, but even then did
not succeed in thawing either it or our clothes. When
this was too much for us we walked up and down to
keep ourselves warm, and ate our food as we walked.
Then came the no less bitter task of disentangling the
dogs' traces, and we were glad when we could get off
again. In the afternoon, as a rule, we each had a piece
of meat-chocolate.
Most Arctic travellers who have gone sledge journeys
have complained of the so-called Arctic thirst, and it has
been considered an almost unavoidable evil in connection
with a long journey across wastes of snow. It is often
increased, too, by the eating of snow. I had prepared
myself for this thirst, from which we had also suffered
severely when crossing Greenland, and had taken with
me a couple of indiarubber flasks, which we filled with
water every morning from the cooker, and by carrying
in the breast were able to protect from the cold. To
my great astonishment, however, I soon discovered that
the whole day would often pass by without my as much
as tasting the water in my flask. As time went by, the
less need did I feel to drink during the day, and at last I
gave up taking water with me altogether. If a passing
Our Sledge Journey. 127
feeling of thirst made itself felt, a piece of fresh ice, of
which, as a rule, there was always some to be found, was
sufficient to dispel it."^ The reason why we were spared
this suffering which has been one of the greatest hardships
of many sledge expeditions, must be attributed in a great
measure to our admirable cooking apparatus. By the
help of this we were able, with the consumption of a
minimum of fuel, to melt and boil so much water every
mornine that we could drink all we wished. There was
even some left over, as a rule, which had to be thrown
away. The same thing was generally the case in the
evening.
" Friday, March 29. We are grinding on, but very
slowly. The ice is only tolerable, and not what I expected
from the beginning. There are often great ridges of
piled up ice of dismal aspect, which take up a great
deal of time, as one must go on ahead to find a
way, and, as a rule, make a greater or less detour to get
over them. In addition, the dogs are growing rather
slow and slack, and it is almost impossible to get them
on. And then this endless disentangling of the hauling-
ropes, wuth their infernal twists and knots which get worse
and worse to undo! The dogs jump over, and in between
'^ Whereas eating snow may increase the above-mentioned feehng of
thirst, and have disagreeable consequences in other ways, sucking a
piece of ice, which will soon quench it, may safely be resorted to, par-
ticularly if it be held in the hand a little while before putting it in the
mouth. Many travellers have, no doubt, had the same experience.
128 Chapter IV.
one another Incessantly, and no sooner has one carefully
cleared the hauling-ropes, than they are twisted into a
veritable skein again. Then one of the sledges is stopped
by a block of ice. The dogs howl impatiently to follow their
companions in front ; then one bites through a trace and
starts off on his own account, perhaps followed by one or
two others, and these must be caught, and the traces
knotted ; there is no time to splice them properly, nor
would it be a very congenial task in this cold. So we go
on when the ice is uneven, and every hour and a half
at least, have to stop and disentangle the traces.
" We started yesterday about half-past eight in the
morning, and stopped about five in the afternoon. After
dinner the north-easterly wind, which we have had the
whole time, suddenly became stronger, and the sky over-
cast. We welcomed it with joy, for we saw in it the sign
of a probable change of weather and an end to this per-
petual cold and brightness. I do not think we deceived
ourselves either. Yesterday evening the temperature had
risen to —29*2° Fahr. ( — 34° C), and we had the best
night in the bag we have had for a long time. Just now,
as I am getting the breakfast ready, I see that it is clear
again, and the sun is shining through the tent wall.
''The ice we are now travelling over seems, on the
whole, to be old ; but sometimes we come across tracts,
of considerable width, of uneven new ice, which must
have been pressed up a considerable time. I cannot
account for it in any other way than by supposing
Our Sledge Journey. i > >
it to be ice from great open pools which must have
formed here at one time. We have traversed pools
of this description, with level ice on them, several
times." That day I took a meridian observation, which,
however, did not make us farther north than 85° 30'.
I could not understand this ; thought that we must be
in latitude 86°, and, therefore, supposed there must be
something wrong with the observation.
" Saturday, March 30th. Yesterday was Tycho
Brahe's day. At first we found much uneven ice and
had to strike a devious route to get through it, so that
our day's march did not amount to much, although we
kept at it a long time. At the end of it, however, and
after considerable toil, we found ourselves on splendid
flat ice, more level than it had been for a long time.
At last, then, we had come on some more of the good
old kind, and could not complain of some rubble and
snow-drifts here and there ; but then we were stopped
by some ugly pressure-ridges, of the worst kind, formed
by the packing of enormous blocks. The last ridge
was the worst of all, and before it yawned a crack in the
thick ice, about 12 feet deep. When the first sledge
was going over all the dogs fell in and had to be hauled
up again. One of them — ' Klapperslangen ' — slipped
his harness and ran away. As the next sledge was
going over it fell in bodily, but happily was not smashed
to atoms, as it might have been. We had to unload it
entirely in order to get it up again, and then reload, all
VOL. II. K
I30
Chapter IV.
of which took up a great deal of time. Then, too, the
dogs had to be thrown down and dragged up on the
other side. With the third sledge we managed better,
and after we had gone a little way farther the runaway
A NIGHT CAMP ON THE JOURNEY NORTH.
dog came back. At last we reached a camping-ground,
pitched our tent, and found that the thermometer showed
— 45*4° Fahr. (—43° C). Disentangling dog-traces in this
temperature, with one's bare, frost-bitten, almost skinless
Our Sledge Journey. 131
hands is desperate work. But finally we were in our
dear bag, with the ' Primus ' singing cosily, when, to
crown our misfortunes, I discovered that it would not
burn. I examined it everywhere, but could find nothing
wrong. Johansen had to turn out and go and fetch the
tools and a reserve burner, while I studied the cooker.
At last I discovered that some ice had got in under the
lid, and this had caused a leakage. Finally we got it
to light, and at 5 o'clock in the morning the pea-soup
was ready, and very good it was. At three in the after-
noon I was up again cooking. Thank Heaven, it is warm
and comfortable in the bag, or this sort of life would be
intolerable.
"Sunday, March 31st. Yesterday, at last, came the
long-wished-for change of weather, with southerly wind
and rising temperature. Early this morning the thermo-
meter showed —22° Fahr. ( — 30° C), regular summer
weather, in fact. It was, therefore, with lightened hearts
that we set off over good ice, and with the wind at our
backs. On we went at a very fair pace, and everything
was going well, when a lane suddenly opened just in
front of the first sledge. We managed to get this
over by the skin of our teeth ; but just as we were
going to cross the lane again after the other sledges a
large piece of ice broke under Johansen, and he fell in,
wetting both legs — a deplorable incident. While the lane
was gradually opening more and more, I went up and
down it to find a way over, but without success. Here
K 2
132 Chapter IV.
we were, with one man and a sledge on one side, two
sledges and a wet man on the other, with an ever-
widening lane between. The kayaks could not be
launched, as, through the frequent capsizing of
the sledges, they had got holes in them, and for
the time being were useless. This was a cheer-
ful prospect for the night ; I on one side with
the tent, Johansen, probably frozen stiff, on the
other. At last, after a long detour, I found a way
over ; and the sledges were conveyed across. It was out of
the question, however, to attempt to go on, as Johansen's
nether extremities were a mass of ice and his overalls so
torn that extensive repairs were necessary."
CHAPTER V.
A Hard Struggle.
" Tuesday, April 2nd. There are many different kinds
of difficulty to overcome on this journey, but the
worst of all, perhaps, is getting all the trifles done and
starting off. In spite of my being up by 7 o'clock on
Monday evening to do the cooking, it was nearly two this
morning before we got clear of our camping-ground.
The load on Johansen's sledge had to be relashed, as
the contents of one grip had been eaten up, and we
had to put a sack of bread in its place. Another grip
had to be sewn together, as it was leaking pemmican.
Then the sledge from which the bread-sack had been
taken had to be lashed secure again, and while we had
the ropes undone it was just as well to get out a supply
of potatoes.^ During this operation we discovered that
^ We always kept a supply of our various provisions in small bags
inside the " kayaks," so that we could get out whatever we wanted for
our daily consumption without undoing the big sacks, which were sewn
up or securely fastened in other ways.
134 Chapter V.
there was a hole in the fish-flour sack, which we tied
up, but no sooner had we done so, than we found
another large one which required sewing. When we
came to pack the potato-sack this too had a hole
in it, which we tied up, and so on. Then the dogs'
traces had to be disentangled ; the whole thing was in an
inextricable muddle, and the knots and twists in the icy,
frozen rope got worse and worse to deal with. Johansen
made haste and patched his trousers before breakfast.
The south wind had become what on board the Fram we
should have called a 'mill breeze' {i.e., 19 to 23 feet in the
second) ; and, with this at our back, we started off in
driving snow. Everything went splendidly at first, but
then came one pressure-ridge after another, and each one
was worse than the last. We had a long halt for dinner
at eight or nine in the morning, after having chosen our-
selves a sheltered place in the lee of a ridge. We
spread out the sleeping-bag, crept down into it with our
food, and so tired was I that I went to sleep with it
in my hand. I dreamed I was in Norway, and on a
visit to some people I had only seen once in my life
before. It was Christmas Day, and I was show^n into a
great empty room, where we were intended to dine. The
room w^as very cold, and I shivered, but there were
already some hot dishes steaming on the table, and a
beautiful fat goose. How unspeakably did I look forward
to that goose. Then some other visitors began to
arrive ; I could see them through the window, and was
i^
^; f
73 -C
O
f-* 2
a 5
^^ X
A Hard Struggle. 135
just going out to meet them, when I stumbled into deep
snow. How it all happened, in the middle of the dining-
room floor, I know not. The host laughed in an amused
way, and — I woke up and found myself shivering in a
sleeping-bag on the drift-ice in the far north. Oh, how
miserable I felt! We got up, packed our things silently
together, and started off. Not until 4 o'clock that
afternoon did we stop, but everything was dull and
cheerless, and it was long before I got over my dis-
appointment. What would I not have given for that
dinner, or for one hour in the room, cold as it was.
'' The ridges and the lanes which had frozen together
again, with rubble on either side, became worse and
worse. Making one's way through these new ridges is
desperate work. One cannot use snowshoes, as there is
too little snow between the piled-up blocks of ice, and one
must wade along without them. It is also impossible
to see anything in this thick weather — everything is
white — irregularities and holes ; and the spaces between
the blocks are covered with a thin, deceptive layer of
snow, which lets one crashing through into cracks and
pitfalls, so that one is lucky to get off without a broken
leg. It is necessary to go long distances on ahead in
order to find a way ; sometimes one must search in one
direction, sometimes in another, and then back again
to fetch the sledges, with the result that the same ground
is gone over many times. Yesterday, when we stopped,
I really was done. The worst of it all, though, was
136 Chapter V.
that when we finally came to a standstill we had been
on the move so long that it was too late to wind up
our watches. Johansen's had stopped altogether ; mine
was ticking, and happily still going when I wound it
up, so I hope that it is all right. Twelve mid-day,
— •24*6° Fahr. ( — 3i-5°C.). Clear weather, south-easterly
wind (13 feet in the second).
*' The ice seems to be getting worse and worse, and
I am beginning to have doubts as to the wisdom of
keeping northw^ards too long.
'' Wednesday, April 3rd. Got under way yesterday
about three in the afternoon. The snow was in first-
rate condition after the south-east wind, which continued
blowing till late in the day. The ice was tolerably
passable, and everything looked more promising ; the
weather was fine, and we made good progress. But
after several level tracts w^ith old humpy ice, came some
very uneven ones, intersected by lanes and pressure-
ridges as usual. Matters did not grow any better
as time went on, and at midnight or soon after we
were stopped by some bad ice and a newly frozen lane
which would not bear. As we should have had to
make a long detour, we encamped, and Russen was
killed (this was the second dog to go). The meat was
divided into 26 portions, but eight dogs refused it, and
had to be given pemmican. The ice ahead does not
look inviting. These ridges are enough to make
one despair, and there seems to be no prospect of things
A Hard Struggle. 137
bettering. I turned out at midday and took a meridian
observation, which makes us in 85^59' N. It is astonish-
ing that we have not got farther ; we seem to toil all
we can, but without much progress. Beginning to doubt
seriously of the advisability of continuing northwards
much longer. It is three times as far to Franz Josef
Land as the distance we have now come. How may
the ice be in that direction ? We can hardly count on
its being better than here, or our progress quicker.
Then, too, the shape and extent of Franz Josef Land are
unknown, and may cause us considerable delay, and
perhaps we shall not be able to find any game just
at once. I have long seen that it is impossible to
reach the Pole itself or its immediate vicinity over such
ice as this, and with these dogs. If only we had more
of them ! What would I not give now to have the
Olenek dogs ? We must turn sooner or later. But as
it is only a question of time, could we not turn it to
better account in Franz Josef Land than by travelling
over this drift-ice, which we have now had a good
opportunity of learning to know? In all probability it
will be exactly the same right to the Pole. We cannot
hope to reach any considerable distance higher before
time compels us to turn. We certainly ought not to
wait much longer. Twelve midday, — 20'8° Fahr.
( — 29-4° C), clear weather, 3 feet wind from east;
twelve midnight, —29*2° Fahr. ( — 34° C.) clear and
still."
138 Chapter V.
It became more and more of a riddle to me that we
did not make greater progress northwards. I kept on
calculating and adding up our marches as we went
along, but always with the same result ; that is to say,
provided only the ice were still, we must be far above
the eighty-sixth parallel. It was becoming only too
clear to me, however, that the ice was moving south-
wards, and that in its capricious drift, at the mercy
of wind and current, we had our worst enemy to
combat.
'' Friday, April 5th. Began our march at three yester-
day morning. The ice, however, was bad, with lanes
and ridges, so that our progress was but little. These
lanes, with rubble thrown up on each side, are our
despair. It is like driving over a tract of rocks, and
delays us terribly. First I must go on ahead to find a
way, and then get my sledge through ; then, perhaps, by
way of a change, one falls into the water : yesterday I
fell through twice. If I work hard in finding a way and
guiding my sledge over rough places, Johansen is
no better off, with his two sledges to look after. It is a
tough job to get even one of them over the rubble, to
say nothing of the ridges ; but he is a plucky fellow, and
no mistake, and never gives in. Yesterday he fell into
the water again in crossing a lane, and got wet up to his
knees. I had gone over on my snowshoes shortly before,
and did not notice that the ice was weak. He came
afterwards without snowshoes walking beside one of the
A Hard Struggle. 139
sledges, when suddenly the ice gave, and he fell through.
Happily he managed to catch hold of the sledge, and
the dogs, which did not stop, pulled him up again.
These baths are not an unmixed pleasure now that there
is no possibility of drying or changing one's clothes, and
one must wear a chain mail of ice until they thaw and dry
on the body, which takes some time in this temperature.
I took an observation for longitude and a magnetic
observation yesterday morning, and have spent the
whole forenoon to-day in calculations (inside the bag) to
find out our exact position. I find our latitude yesterday
was 86° 2-8' N. This is very little, but what can we do
when the ice is what it is ? And these dogs cannot work
harder than they do, poor things. I sigh for the sledge-
dogs from the Olenek daily now. The longitude for
yesterday was 98° 47 '15'', variation 44'4°.
" I begin to think more and more that we ought to
turn back before the time we originally fixed.^ It is
probably 350 miles or so to Petermann's Land (in point
of fact it was about 450 miles to Cape Fligely) ; but it
will probably take us all we know to get over them.
The question resolves itself into this : Ought we not, at
any rate, to reach 87° N. ? But I doubt whether we can
manage it, if the ice does not improve.
''Saturday, April 6th. Two a.m., —11-4° Fahr.
* When I left the ship I had purposed to travel northwards for
50 days, for which time we had taken provender for the dogs.
I40 Chapter V.
( — 24-2° C). The ice grew worse and worse. Yester-
day it brought me to the verge of despair, and when we
stopped this morning I had almost decided to turn back.
I will go on one day longer, however, to see if the ice is
really as bad farther northwards as it appears to be from
the ridge, 30 feet in height, where we are encamped.
We hardly made 4 miles yesterday. Lanes, ridges,
and endless rough ice, it looks like an endless moraine
of ice-blocks ; and this continual lifting of the sledges
over every irregularity is enough to tire out giants.
Curious this rubble-ice. For the most part it is not so
very massive, and seems as if it had been forced up
somewhat recently, for it is incompletely covered with
thin, loose snow, through which one falls suddenly up to
one's middle. And thus it extends mile after mile north-
wards, while every now and then there are old floes,
with mounds that have been rounded off by the action of
the sun in the summer — often very massive ice.
'' I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that we are
not doing any good here. We shall not be able to get
much farther north, and it will be slow work indeed if
there be much more of this sort of ice towards Franz
Josef Land. On the other hand, we should be able
to make much better use of our time there, if we should
have any over. 8.30 p.m., —29-2° Fahr. ( — 34° C).
'' Monday, April 8th. No, the ice grew worse and
worse, and we got no way. Ridge after ridge, and
nothing but rubble to travel over. We made a start
NOTHING BUT ICE, ICE TO THE HORIZON. 7 APRIL, ^895.
A Hard Struggle.
141
at two o'clock or so this morning, and kept at it as long
as we could, lifting the sledges all the time; but it grew too
*' I WENT ON AHEAD ON SNOWSHOES."
bad at last. I went on a good way ahead on snowshoes,
but saw no reasonable prospect of advance, and from the
142 Chapter V.
highest hummocks only the same kind of ice was to be
seen. It was a veritable chaos of ice-blocks, stretching
as far as the horizon. There is not much sense in
keeping on longer ; we are sacrificing valuable time
and doing little. If there be much more such ice
between here and Franz Josef Land, we shall, indeed,
want all the time we have.
*'I therefore determined to stop, and shape our course
for Cape Fligely.
'' On this northernmost camping-ground we indulged in
a banquet, consisting of lobscouse, bread-and-butter, dry
chocolate, stewed ' tytlebaer,' or red whortleberries, and
our hot whey drink, and then, with a delightful and
unfamiliar feeling of repletion, crept into the dear
bag, our best friend. I took a meridian observation
yesterday, by which I see that we should be in latitude
86° lo' N., or thereabouts.^ This morning I took an
observation for longitude. At 8.30 a.m., — 25*6° Fahr.
(- 32° c.)."
''Tuesday, April 9th. Yesterday's was our first march
homewards. We expected the same impracticable ice,
but, to our amazement, had not gone far before we came
on tolerably good ground, which improved steadily, and,
with only a few stoppages, we kept at it till this morning.
* This was the latitude I got by a rough estimation, but on further
calculation it proved to be 86° 13*6' N. ; the longitude was about
95° E.
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A Hard Struggle. 143
We came upon ridges, to be sure, but they always
allowed themselves to be negotiated pretty easily, and we
did well. Started yesterday about two in the afternoon,
and kept going till one this morning."
*' Thursday, April nth. Better and better. Found
nothing but beautiful level tracts of ice yesterday, with a
M.
OVER TOLERABLY GOOD GROUND.
few ridges, which were easy to get over, and some lanes,
with young ice on, which gave us rather more trouble.
They ran, however, about in our direction (our course is
now the magnetic S. 22° W., or about the true W.S.W.),
and we could go alongside them. At last, however, we
had to make a crossing, and accomplished it successfully,
although the ice bent under us and our sledges more than
144 Chapter V.
was desirable. Late in the afternoon we came across a
channel, which we proposed to cross in the same
way. We reached the other side with the first sledge
safely enough, but not so with the other. Hardly had
the leaders of the team got out to the dangerous place
where the ice was thinnest, and where some water was
on the surface, when they stopped and warily dipped
their paws in the water. Then through went one of
them, splashing and struggling to get out. The ice
began to sink under the weight of the other dogs and
the sledge, and the water came flowing up. I dragged
dogs and sledge back as quickly as possible, and
succeeded in driving them all on to the firm ice again in
safety. We tried once again at another place, I running
over first on snowshoes and calling to the dogs, and
johansen pushing behind, but the result was no better
than the first time, as 'Suggen' fell in, and we had to go
back. Only after a long detour, and very much fagged,
did we finally succeed in getting the two last sledges
over. We were lucky in finding a good camping-place,
and had the warmest night and the most comfortable (I
might almost say cosy) morning — spent, be it said, in
repairs — that we have had on the trip. I think we did the
longest day's march yesterday that we have yet achieved :
about 15 miles. Two in the afternoon, — 17*6° Fahr.
(- 27-6° C).
"Saturday, April 13th. We have traversed nothing
but good ice for three days. If this goes on, the
A Hard Struggle. 145
return journey will be quicker than I thought. I
do not understand this sudden change in the nature of
the ice. Can it be that we are travelling in the same
direction with the trend of the ridges and irregularities,
so that now we go along between them instead of
having to make our way over them ? The lanes we
have come across seem all to point to this ; they follow
our course pretty closely. We had the misfortune
yesterday to let our watches run down ; the time
between our getting into the bag on the previous night
and encamping yesterday was too long. Of course we
wound them up again, but the only thing I can now do
to find Greenwich mean time is to take a time-observa-
tion and an observation for latitude, and then estimate
the approximate distance from our turning-point on
April 8th, when I took the last observation for longitude.
By this means the error will hardly be great.
'' I conclude that we have not gone less than 14 miles
a day on an average the last three days, and have
consequently advanced 40 or more miles in a direction
S. 22° W. (magnetic). When we stopped here yesterday
' Barbara ' was killed. . These slaughterings are not very
pleasant episodes. Clear weather ; at 6.30 this morning
— 22° Fahr. (— 30° C.) ; wind south (6 to 9 feet).
"April 14th. Easter Day. We were unfortunate with
lanes yesterday, and they forced us considerably out of
our course. We were stopped at last by a particularly
awkward one, and after I had gone alongside it to find a
VOL. II. L
146 Chapter V.
crossing for some distance without success, I thought we
had better, in the circumstances, pitch our tent and have
a festive Easter Eve. In addition, I wished to reckon out
our latitude, longitude, our observation for time, and our
variation ; it was a question of getting the right time
again as quickly as possible. The tent up, and Johansen
attending to the dogs, I crept into the bag ; but lying-
thawing in this frozen receptacle, with frozen clothes and
shoes, and simultaneously working out an observation
and looking up logarithms, with tender, frost-bitten
fingers, is not pleasurable, even if the temperature be
only — 22° Fahr. It is slow work, and Easter Day has
had to be devoted to the rest of the calculation, so that
we shall not get off before this evening. Meanwhile we
had a festive Easter Eve and regaled ourselves with the
following delicacies : Hot whey and water, fish au gratin,
stewed red whortleberries, and lime-juice grog (i.e., lime-
juice tablets and a little sugar dissolved in hot water).
Simply a splendid dinner, and having feasted our fill, we
at last, at 2 o'clock, crept in under the cover.
'' I have calculated our previous latitudes and longi-
tudes over again to see if I can discover any mistake
in them. I find that we should yesterday have
come farther south than 86° 5*3' N. ; but, according
to our reckoning, assuming that we covered 50 miles
during the three days, we should have come down to 85
degrees and 50 odd minutes. I cannot explain it
in any other manner than by the surmise that we
A Hard Struggle. 147
have been drifting rapidly northwards, which is very
good for the Frain, but less so for us. The wind
has been southerly the last few days. I assume
that we are now in longitude 86° E., and have reckoned
the present reading of our watches accordingly.''' The
variation here I find to be 42*5°. Yesterday we steered
S. 10° W. (magnetic) ; to-day I will keep S. 5° W., and
to-morrow due south. By way of a change to-day, the
sky has been overcast ; but this evening, when we
partook of our second breakfast, the sun was shining
cheerily in through the tent-wall. Johansen has patched
clothes to-day, while I have made calculations and
pricked out the courses. So mild and balmy it has not
been before. 10 p.m.,. —14° Fahr. ( — 25*6° C).
" Tuesday, April i6th. As we were about to start off
at I o'clock yesterday morning, ' Baro ' sneaked away before
we could harness him ; he had seen a couple of the other
dogs being put to, and knew what was coming. As I
did not wish to lose the dog — he was the best I had in
■'^ I felt convinced we could not have reached such a westerly longi-
tude, but assumed this for the sake of certainty, as I would rather come
down on the east side of Franz Josef Land than on the west side.
Should we reach the latitude of Petermann's Land or Prince Rudolf
Land without seeing them, I should in the former case be certain that
we had them on our west, and could then look for them in that
direction, whereas, in the event of our not finding land and being
uncertain whether we were too far east or too far w«*t, we should not
then know in what direction we ought to look for it.
L 2
148 Chapter V.
my team— this caused some delay. I called and called,
and went peering round the hummocks in search of him,
but saw nothing, only the ice-pack, ridge upon ridge
disappearing towards the horizon, and farthest north the
midnight sun shining over all. The world of ice was
dreaming in the bright, cool morning light. We had
to leave without the dog, but, to my great delight, I
soon caught sight of him far behind us in our w^ake ;
I thought I had seen his good face for the last time. He
was evidently ashamed of himself, and came and stood
quite still, looking up at me imploringly when I took
him and harnessed him. I had meant to whip the dog,
but his eyes disarmed me.
"We found good passable ice, if not always quite flat,
and made satisfactory progress. Some ridges, however,
forced us west of our course. Later on in the morning
I discovered that I had left my compass behind at some
place or other where I had had it out to take our
bearings. It could not be dispensed with, so I had
to return and look for it. I found it, too, but it was
a hard pull-back, and on the way I was inconvenienced
for the first time by the heat ; the sun scorched quite
unpleasantly. When I at last got back to the sledges,
I felt rather slack ; Johansen was sitting on the kayak
fast asleep, basking in the sun. Then on again, but
the light and warmth made us drowsy and slack, and,
try as we would, we seemed to lag ; so at ten in the
forenoon we decided to camp, and I was not a little
A Hard Struggle. 149
surprised, when I took the meteorological observation,
to find that the swing-thermometer showed — 15*2° Fahr.
(— 26'2^ C). The tent was accordingly pitched in the
broiling sun, and nice and warm it soon was inside.
We had a comfortable Easter dinner, which did service
for both Easter Day and Easter Monday. I reckon the
distances we covered on Easter Eve and yesterday at
about 15 miles, and we should thus be altogether 60
miles on our way home.
''Wednesday, April 17th. — 18-4° Fahr. (- 28° C.)
Yesterday, without doubt, we did our longest day's march.
We began at half-past seven in the morning, and ended
at about nine at night, with a couple of hours' rest in
the bag at dinner-time. The ice was what I should
previously have called anything but good ; it was
throughout extremely uneven, with pressed-up, rather
new ice and older, rounded-off ridges. There were
ridges here and there, but progress was possible every-
where, and by lanes, happily, we were not hindered.
The snow was rather loose between all the irregularities
of the ice ; but the dogs hauled alone everywhere, and
there is no cause to complain of them. The ice we are
now stopping in seems to me to be something like that
we had around the Fram. We have about got down to
the region where she is drifting. I am certain we did
20 miles yesterday, and the distance homewards should
now be altogether 368 miles.
'' The weather is glorious nowadays, not so cold as
150 Chapter V.
to inconvenience one, and continual clear sunshine
without any wind to signify. There is remarkable
equableness and stagnancy in the atmosphere up here,
I think. We have travelled over this ice for upwards
of a month now, and not once have we been stopped
on account of bad weather — the same bright sunshine
the whole time, with the exception of a couple of days,
and even then the sun came out. Existence becomes
more and more enjoyable ; the cold is gone, and we
are pressing forward towards land and summer. It is
no trial now to turn out in the mornings, with a good
day's march before one, and cook, and lie snug and
warm in the bag and dream of the happy future when
we get home. Home. . . .?
'' Have been engaged on an extensive sartorial under-
taking to-day ; my trousers were getting the w^orse for
wear. It seems quite mild now to sit and sew in
— 18° Fahr. in comparison with — 40° Fahr. Then cer-
tainly it was not enjoyable to ply one's needle.
" Friday, April 19th. We now have provender for the
dogs for two or three days more, but I think of saving
it a little longer and having the worst dogs eaten first.
Yesterday ' Perpetuum ' was killed. This killing of the
animals, especially the actual slaughtering, is a horrible
affair. We have hitherto stuck them with a knife, but
it was not very satisfactory. Yesterday, however, we
determined to try a new method : strangulation.
According to our usual custom, we led the dog away
A Hard Struggle. 151
behind a hummock, so that the others should not know
what was going on. Then we put a rope round the
animal's neck, and each pulled with all his might, but
without effect, and at last we could do no more. Our
hands were losincr all sense of feelingr in the cold, and
there was nothing for it but to use the knife. Oh, it
was horrible ! Naturally, to shoot them would be the
most convenient and merciful way, but we are loath to
expend our precious ammunition on them ; the time may
come when we shall need it sorely.
" The observations yesterday show that we have got
down to 85° T^j'^' N., and the longitude should be
79° 26' E. This tallies well with our reckoning. We
have gone 50 miles or so since the last observation
(April 13th), just what I had assumed beforehand.
'' Still the same brilliant sunshine, day and night.
Yesterday the wind from the north freshened, and is
still blowing to-day, but does not trouble us much, as
it is behind us. The temperature, which now keeps
from about 4° to 22° below zero (Fahr.), can only be
described as agreeable. This is undoubtedly fortunate
for us ; if it were warmer, the lanes would keep open
a longer time. My greatest desire now is to get under
land before the lanes become too bad. What we shall
do then must be decided by circumstances.
"Sunday, April 21st. At 4 o'clock yesterday we
got under way. During the night we stopped to have
something to eat. These halts for dinner, when we
152 Chapter V.
take our food and crawl well down to the bottom of
the bag, where it is warm and comfortable, are unusually
cosy. After a good nap we set off again, but were
soon stopped by the ugliest lane we have yet come
across. I set off along it to find a passage, but only
found myself going through bad rubble. The lane was
everywhere equally broad and uncompromising, equally
full of aggregated blocks and brash, testifying clearly
to the manner in which, during a long period, the
ice here has been in motion and been crushed and
disintegrated by continual pressure. This was apparent,
too, in numerous new ridges of rubble and hummocky
ice, and the cracks running in all directions. I finally
found a crossing, but when, after a long circuit, I had
conveyed the caravan there, it had changed in the
interval, and I did not think it advisable to make
the attempt. But though I went 'farther than far,'
as we say, I only found the same abominable lane,
full of lumps of ice, grinning at one, and high
pressure-ridges on each side. Things were becoming
worse and worse. In several cases these lumps
of ice were, I noticed, intermixed with earthy matter.
In one place, the w^hole floe, from which blocks
had been pressed up into a ridge, was entirely dark
brown in colour, but whether this was from mud or from
organic matter I did not get near enough to determine.
The ridges were fairly high in some places, and reached
a height of 25 feet or so. I had a good opportunity here
A Hard Struggle. ]^^
of observing how they assume forms like ice-mountains
with high, straight sides, caused by the splitting of old
ridges transversely in several directions. I have often on
this journey seen massive high hummocks with similar
square sides, and of great circumference, sometimes
quite resembling snow-covered islands. They are of
' palaeocrystic ice,' as good as any one can wish."^
'' I was constrained at last to return with my mission
unaccomplished. Nearly the most annoying thing
about it was that on the other side of the lane I could
see fine flat ice stretching southwards — and now to be
obliged to camp here and wait ! I had, however, already
possessed my soul in patience, when, on coming back
to our original stopping-place, I found a tolerably good
crossing close by it. We eventually got the other side,
with the ice grinding under our feet the w^hile, and by
that time it was 6 o'clock in the morning. We kept at
it a little while longer over beautiful flat ice, but the
dogs were tired, and it was nearly 48 hours since they
had been fed. As we were hastening along we suddenly
came across an immense piece of timber sticking up
obliquely from the surface of the ice. It was Siberian
larch as far as I could make out, and probably raised in
this manner through pressure long ago. Many a good
* We saw no real ice-mountains at any period of. our journey before
we got under land ; everything was sea-ice. The same was the case
during the drift of the jFram.
154
Chapter V.
meal could we have cooked with it had we been able to
drag it with us, but it was too heavy. We marked it
* F. N., H. J., 85° 30' N.,' and went on our way.
" Plains of ice still before us. I am looking forward
to getting under way. Gliding over this flat surface on
one's snowshoes almost reaches the ideal ; land and
JOHANSEN CARVING OUR NAMES IN A STOCK OF
DRIFT-WOOD.
home are nigher, and as one goes along one's thoughts
fly southwards to everything that is beautiful. Six in
the morning, — 22° Fahr. (~ 30° C).
" Monday, April 22nd. If we have made good pro-
gress the previous days, yesterday simply outdid itself.
I think I may reckon our day's march at 25 miles, but,
A Hard Struggle. 155
for the sake of certainty, lump the two last days
together, and put them down at 40 miles. The dogs,
though, are beginning to get tired ; it is approaching the
time for us to camp. They are impatient for food, and,
grown more and more greedy for fresh dog's flesh, throw
themselves on it like wolves as soon as a smoking piece,
with hair and all on is thrown to them. ' Kvik ' and
' Barnet ' only still keep back as long as the flesh is
warm, but let it become frozen, and they eat it voraciously.
Twelve midnight, — 27*8° Fahr. (— 33'3" C).
"Friday, April 26th. —247° Fahr. (-31-5° C).
Minimum temperature, — 32° Fahr. (— 357° C). I was
not a little surprised yesterday morning when I suddenly
saw the track of an animal in the snow. It was that of a
fox, came about W.S.W. true, and went in an easterly
direction. The trail was quite fresh. What in the
world was that fox doing up here ? There were also
unequivocal signs that it had not been entirely without
food. Were we in the vicinity of land ? Involuntarily
I looked round for it, but the weather was thick all day
yesterday, and we might have been near it without
seeing it. It is just as probable, however, that this
fox was following up some bear. In any case, a warm-
blooded mammal in the eighty-fifth parallel ! We had
not gone far when we came across another fox-track ;
it went in about the same direction as the other, and
followed the trend of the lane which had stopped us,
and by which we had been obliged to camp. It is
156 Chapter V.
incomprehensible what these animals live on up here, but
presumably they are able to snap up some crustacean
in the open waterways. But why do they leave the
coasts ? That is what puzzles me most. Can they
have gone astray ? There seems little probability of that.
I am eager to see if we may not come across the trail
of a bear to-day. It would be quite a pleasure, and it
would seem as if we were getting nearer inhabited regions
again. I have just pricked out our course on the chart
according to our bearings, calculating that we have gone
75 miles in the four days since our last observation,
and I do not think this can be excessive. According to
this, it should not be much more than 150 miles to
Petermann's Land, provided it lie about where Payer
determined it. I should have taken an observation
yesterday, but it was misty.
"At the end of our day, yesterday, we went across
many lanes and piled-up ridges ; in one of the latter,
which appeared to be quite new, immense pieces of
fresh-water ice had been pressed up. They were closely
intermixed w^ith clay and gravel, the result of infiltra-
tion, so that at a distance the blocks looked dark brown,
and might easily be taken for stone ; in fact, I really
thought they were stone. I can only imagine that this
ice is river-ice, probably from Siberia. I often saw
huge pieces of fresh-water ice of this kind farther north,
and even in latitude 86° there was clay on the ice.
*' Sunday, April 28th. We made good way yester-
A Hard Struggle. 157
day, presumably 20 miles. We began our march
about half-past three in the afternoon the day before
yesterday, and kept at it till yesterday morning.
Land is drawing nigh, and the exciting time begin-
ning, when we may expect to see something on
the horizon. Oh, how I am longing for land, for
something under one's feet that is not ice and snow ;
not to speak of something to rest one's eyes on.
Another fox-track yesterday ; it went in about the same
direction as the previous ones. Later in the day
' Gulen ' gave in ; it seemed to be a case of complete
exhaustion, he could hardly stand on his legs, reeled
over, and when we placed him on one of the loads he lay
quite still without moving. We had already decided to
kill him that day. Poor beast, faithfully he worked for
us, good tempered and willing to the end, and then for
thanks, when he could do no more, to be killed for
provender! He was born on the Fram on December
13th, 1893, and, true child of the polar night, never saw
auofht but ice and snow.
'' Monday, April 29. - 4^ Fahr. (- 20° C). We
had not gone far yesterday when we were stopped by
open water — a broad pool or lane which lay almost straight
across our course. We worked westwards alongside it
for some distance, until it suddenly began to close
violently together at a place where it was comparatively
narrow. In a few minutes the ice was towering above
us, and we got over by means of the noisy pressure-
158 Chapter V.
ridge, which was thundering and crashing under our feet.
It was a case of bestirring ourselves and driving dogs and
sledges quickly over if we did not wish to get jammed
between the rolling blocks of ice. This ridge nearly
swallowed up Johansen's snowshoes, which had been left
behind for a minute while we got the last sledge over.
When at last we got to the other side of the lane the
day was far spent, and such work naturally deserved
reward in the shape of an extra ration of meat-chocolate.
** Annoying as it is to be stopped in the midst of
beautiful flat ice by a lane, when one is longing to get on,
still, undeniably, it is a wonderful feeling to see open
water spread out in front of one, and the sun playing on
the light ripples caused by the wind. Fancy open water
again, and glittering waves, after such a long time. One's
thoughts fly back to home and summer. I scanned in
vain to see if a seal's head were not visible above
the surface, or a bear along the side. The dogs are
beginning now to be very much reduced in strength and
are difficult to urge on. ' Barnet ' was quite done (he
was killed this evening), and several of the others are
very jaded. Even ' Baro,' my best dog, is beginning to
cool in his zeal, to say nothing of ' Kvik ' ; perhaps I ought
to cater a little more generously for them. The wind
which was about south-east in the morning subsequently
went over to an easterly direction, and I expect, to use
Pettersen's customary expression on board for a good
south-easter which drove us northwards to some purpose,
A Hard Struggle. 159
' a regular devil of a hiding.' I am only surprised the
temperature still seems low. I had noticed a thick bank
of clouds for a long time along the horizon in the south
and south-west, and thought that this must mean land.
It now began to grow higher and come nearer us in a
suspicious manner. When, after having had dinner we
crept out of the bag, we saw that the sky was entirely
clouded over ; and that the ' devil of a hiding ' had come
we felt when we went on.
'' I saw another fox-track yesterday ; it was almost
effaced by the snow, but w^ent in about the same direc-
tion as the others. This is the fourth we have come
across, and seeing so many of them make me begin to
believe seriously in the proximity of land. Yes, I
expect to see it every minute ; perhaps, though, it will
be some days yet.*'^
''Tuesday, April 30th. — 67° Fahr. (— 21-4° C).
Yesterday, in spite of everything, was a bad day. It
began well, with brilliant sunshine ; was warm (4° below
zero Fahr.), and there, bathed in the slumbering sunlight
and alluring us on, were stretches of beautiful flat
ice. Everything tended to predict a good day's
work ; but, alas, who could see the ugly dark cracks
which ran right across our course, and which were
destined to make life a burden to us. The wind had
■^ In point of fact it was nearly three months (till July 24th) before
this marvel happened.
i6o Chapter Y.
packed the snow well together, and made the surface firm
and good, so that we made rapid progress ; but we had
not gone far before we were stopped by a lane of entirely
open water which stretched right across our course.
After following it some little distance we eventually found
a way across.''" Not long afterwards we met with
another lane running in about the same direction. After
a fairly long detour we got safely over this too, with the
minor misfortune that three dogs fell into the water. A
third lane we also got over, but the fourth was too much
for us altogether. It was broad, and we followed it a
long way in a westerly direction, but without finding a
suitable crossing. Then I continued some three or four
miles alone to scan the country, but as I could see
no chance of getting over, I returned to Johansen
and the sledges. It is a fruitless task this following
a lane runninof at ri^ht angles to one's course.
Better to camp and make one's self some good pemmican
soup, a la Julienne (it was highly delectable), and then
give one's self up to sleep, in the hope of better things in
the future. Either the lanes will close together again,
or they will freeze now that it is tolerably cold. The
* As on the previous day, the ice on the north side of the lane was
moving westwards, in comparison with that on the south side.
'Jhe same thing was the case, or could be seen to have been so, with
the lanes we met with later in the day. We naturally conceived this to
jiiean that there was a strong westerly drift in the ice northward, while
that southward was retained by land.
&H *
-M
5 S
? 8
o 2
a.S
it
52 c
o i:
o ?
i
A Hard Struggle. i6r
weather is quiet, so it is to be hoped new ones will not
form."'' If it keep like this during the days we require
to reach land, it will be a good thing ; when once we
are on land as many lanes may form as they like. Should
matters become too bad before that time, there is nothing
for us to do but to mend and patch our kayaks. As
they are now they will not float. The continual
capsizing of the sledges has cut holes in many places,
and they would fill the instant they were put on the
water."
I ought perhaps to explain here that I had deferred
mending the kayaks as long as possible. This was
partly because the work would take a long time, and the
days were precious, now that it was a question of
gaining land before the ice became impracticable ; partly,
too, because, in the temperature we now had, it would
have been difficult to do the work properly ; and also
because the chances were that they would soon get holes
in them again from being upset. In addition to this I
was undesirous of crossing lanes at present ; they were
still covered with young ice which it would have been
difficult to break through, even had it been possible to
protect the bows of the kayaks from being cut, by means of
a plate of German silver and some extra canvas. As I
have mentioned before, not the least drawback was the
* The lanes form most frequently in windy weather, as the ice is then
set in motion.
VOL. II. M
1 62 Chapter V.
fact that any water entering the kayaks would Imme-
diately have frozen and have been impossible to remove,
thus increasing the weight of our loads at each crossing.
It was undoubtedly a better plan to go round, even if the
way was long, than to incur the hindrances and casualties
that the other alternative would, most probably, have
occasioned.
To continue quoting from my diary for the same day
I write : — " The dogs were at one of our precious
pemmican grips last night ; they have torn off a corner of
the bag and eaten some of its contents, but happily not
much. We have been fortunate inasmuch as they have
let the provisions alone hitherto ; but now hunger is
becoming too much for them and nature is stronger than
discipline."
" Wednesday, May ist. — i2-6° Fahr. (— 24-8° C).
I ' half-soled ' my Finn shoes to-day with sail-cloth, so I
hope they will last a while ; I feel as if I could hold my
own again now. I have two pairs of Finn shoes, so
that for once one pair can be dried in the sun. They
have been wet the whole way and it has made them the
worse for wear."
The ice was now growing very bad again and our f
marches shorter. On Friday, May 3rd, I write in my ■
diary : — " We did not do so good a day's work yesterday
as we expected, although we made some progress. The
ice was flat and the going good at one time, and we kept
steadily at it for four hours or so ; but then came several
A Hard Struggle. 163
reaches with lanes and rubble-ice, which, however, we
managed to pull through, though the ice was often
packing under our feet. By degrees the wind from
the south-east increased, and while we were having
dinner it veered round to an easterly direction
and became rather strong. The ice, too, grew
worse, with channels and rubble, and when the wind
reached a velocity of 29 to t,^^ feet in the second,
and a driving snowstorm set in, completely obliterating
everything around us, stumbling along through it all
became anything but attractive. After being delayed
several times by newly-formed rubble, I saw that the
only sensible thing to be done was to camp, if we could
find a sheltered spot. This was easier said than done,
as the weather was so thick we could hardly see any-
thing, but at last we found a suitable place, and well
content to be under shelter, ate our ' fiskegratin,' and
crept into the bag, while the wind rattled the tent-walls
and made drifts round us outside. We had been con-
strained to pitch our tent close beside a new ridge,
which was hardly desirable, as packing might take
place, but we had no choice ; it was the only lee to
be found. Before I went to sleep the ice under us began
to creak, and soon the pressure-ridge behind us was
packing with the w^ell known jerks. I lay listening and
wondering whether it would be better for us to turn out
before the ice-blocks came tumbling upon us, but as I lay
listening I wxnt fast asleep and dreamed about an earth-
M 2
164 Chapter V.
quake. When I woke up again, some hours afterwards,
everything was quiet except the wind, which howled and
ratded at the tent walls, lashing the snow up against
them.
"Yesterday evening Potifar was killed. We have now
sixteen dogs left ; the numbers are diminishing horribly,
and it is still so far to land. If only we were there ! "
" Saturday, May 4. Did fourteen miles yesterday ;
but the lanes become worse and worse. When we got
under way in the afternoon — after having re-loaded my
sledge and kayak, and re-adjusted the dunnage under
Johansen's kayak — the wind had fallen, and it was
snowing quietly and silently, with big flakes, just as it
does on a winter day at home. It was bad in one way,
however, as in such a light it is difficult to see if the lie
of the ground is against or with us ; but the going was
fairly good, and w^e made progress. It was heavenly to
work in this mild weather, + 1 1 '8° Fahr. (—11-3° C), and
be able to use one's frost-bitten hands bare, without
suffering torture untold every time they came in contact
with anything.
'* Our life, however, was soon embittered by open
water-ways. By means of a circuitous route, and the
expenditure of much valuable time, we at last suc-
ceeded in getting over them. Then came long stretches
of good ice, and we went cheerfully on our way ; bye-
and-bye, too, the sun peeped out. It is wonderful what
such encouragement does for one. A little while ago,
A Hard Struggle. 165
when I was ploughing alongside a horrible lane,
through rubble and over ridges, without a sign of any
means of getting on, I was ready to sink from exhaus-
tion at every step ; no pleasure then could compare with
that of being able to crawl into the bag ; and now,
when luck again sheds her smiles on one and progress
is before one, all weariness is suddenly dissipated.
" During the night the ice began to be bad in earnest,
lane after lane, the one worse than the other, and they
were only overcome by deviations and intricate by-ways.
It was terrible work, and when the wind increased to
a good ' mill-breeze ' matters became desperate. This
is indeed toil without ceasing ; what would I not give
to have land, to have a certain way before me, to be
able to reckon on a certain day's march and be free
from this never-ending anxiety and uncertainty about
the lanes. Nobody can tell how much trouble they
may yet cause us, and what adversities we may have
to go through before we reach land ; and meanwhile the
dogs are diminishing steadily. They haul all they can,
poor things, but what good does it do ? I am so tired
that I stagger on my snowshoes, and when I fall down,
only w^sh to lie there to save myself the trouble of
getting up again. But everything changes, and we shall
get to land in time.
'' At five this morning we came to a broad lane, and
as it was almost impossible to get the dogs on any
further, we camped. Once well down in the bag with a
1 66 Chapter V.
pot of savoury-smelling lobscouse in front of one, a
feeling of well-being is the result, which neither lanes nor
anything else can disturb.
''The ice we have gone through has, on the whole, been
flat, with the exception of the newly formed lanes and
rubble. These appear, however, for the most part in limited
stretches, with extensive flat ice between, as yesterday. All
the channels seem in the main to go in the same direction,
about straight across our course with a little deflection
towards the south-west. They run about north-east
to west-south-west (by compass). This morning the
temperature had again sunk to + o'i° Fahr. ( — lyS C),
after having been up at + 12*2° Fahr. ( — 11° C), and
therefore I am still in hopes that the water may freeze
within a reasonable time. Perhaps it is wrong of us to
curse this wind, for on board the Frmn they are rejoicing
that a south-easter has at last sprung up. However, in
spite of our maledictions, I am really glad for their sake,
although I could wish it deferred till we reach land."
'' Wednesday, May 8th. The lanes still appear
regularly in certain places, as a rule where the ice is
very uneven, and where there are old and new ridges
alternately ; between these places there are long flat
stretches of ice without lanes. These are often perfectly
even, almost like ' inland ice.' The direction of the
lanes is, as before, very often athwart our course, or a
little more south-westerly. Others, again, seem to go in
about the same direction as we do. This ice is extra-
A Hard Struggle. 167
ordinary, it seems to become more and more even as
we approach land, instead of the contrary as we expected.
If it would only keep so ! It is considerably flatter than
it was about the Fraiii it seems to me. There are no
really impracticable places, and the irregularities there
are seem to be of small dimensions — rubble-ice and so
forth — no huge mounds and ridges as we had farther
north. Some of the lanes here are narrow and so far
new that the water was only covered with brash. This
can be deceptive enough ; it appears to be even ice, but
thrust your staff in, and it goes right through and into
the water."
'' This morning I made out our latitude and longitude.
The former was (Sunday, May 5th) 84° 31' N., and the
latter 66° 15' E. We were not so far south as I expected,
but considerably farther west. It is the drift which has
put us back and westwards. I shall, therefore, for the
future, steer a more southerly course than before, about
due south (true), as we are still drifting westwards, and,
above everything, I am afraid of getting too far in that
direction. It is to be hoped that we shall soon have
land in sight, and we shall then know where to steer.
We undoubtedly ought to be there now."
"No dog w^as killed yesterday, as there were two-
thirds left of 'Ulenka' from the previous day, which
provided an abundant repast. I now only intend to
slaughter one every other day, and perhaps we shall soon
come across a bear."
1 68 Chapter V.
"Tuesday, May 9th. +9° F. (—13-3° C). Yes-
terday was a fairly good day. The ice was certainly not
first-rate, rather rubbly, and the going heavy, but all the
same we are making steady way forwards. There were
long, flat stretches every now and then. The weather
had become quite fine when we got under way, about
3 o'clock this morning. The sun was shining through
light cumulus clouds. It was hard work, however,
making head against the ice, and soon the fog came
down with the wind, which still blew from the same
direction (N.N.E.).
*' The work of hauling becomes heavier and heavier for
the dogs, in proportion as their numbers diminish. The
wooden runners, too (the under-runners), do not seem to
ride well. I have long thought of taking them off, and
to-day really decided to try the sledges without them.
In spite of everything the dogs keep a very even pace,
with only a halt now and then. Yesterday there were
only four dogs for my sledge. One of them, ' Flint,'
slipped his harness and ran away, and we did not get hold
of him again before the evening, when he was killed by
way of punishment. The ice was all along more uneven
than it has been the last few days. In the afternoon the
weather thickened, and the wind increased till, at about
3 o'clock, a regular snowstorm was raging. No way
was to be seen, only whiteness everywhere, except in
places where the pointed blue ice from the ridges stuck
up through the snow-drifts. After a while the ice grew
A Hard Struggle. 169
worse, and I went headlong on to ridges and irregu-
larities without even seeing them. I hoped this was only
rough ice which we should pass through, but matters did
not improve, and we thought there was no sense in going
on. Luckily we had just then dropped on a good
sheltered camping-ground ; otherwise it would have been
difficult enough to find one in such weather, where
nothing could be discerned. Meanwhile we are getting
southwards, and are more and more surprised at not
seeing si^ns of land. We reckon now to have left the
eighty-fourth parallel behind us.
'' Friday, May loth. 4- 16*2^^ Fahr. (~ 8-8° C). Our
life has many difficulties to combat. Yesterday promised
to be a good day, but thick weather hindered our
advance. When we crept out of the tent yesterday
forenoon it was fine, the sun was shining, the going
was unusually good, and the ice appeared to be unusually
even. We had managed in the snowstorm of the
previous evening to get into a belt of foul ice, which
was merely local. Before we started we thought of
taking the removable wooden runners off the sledges,
but on trying mine beforehand, found that it ran well
as it was. I decided, therefore, to wait a little longer,
as I was afraid that removing the wooden runners might
weaken the sledge. Johansen, meanwhile, had taken
them off the middle sledge, but as we then discovered
that one of the birch runners had split right across
under one of the uprights, there was nothing for
170
Chapter V.
it but to put it on again. It was a pity, though ;
as the sledge would have run much better on the
newly-tarred runners than on the scratched under-
runners. We made fairly good progress, in spite of
there only being thirteen dogs left — four to my sledge,
WE MADE FAIRLY GOOD PROGRESS.
four to the birch sledge, and five to Johansen's. But
later in the afternoon the weather thickened rapidly
and snow began to fall which prevented our seeing
anything before us. The ice, however, was fairly even,
and we kept going. We came across a lane, but this
A Hard Struggle.
171
we crossed by means of a detour. Not long after-
wards again we got among a number of abominable
pressure-ridges, and ran right into high mounds and over
steep brinks without seeing them. Wherever one
turned there were sudden drops and pitfalls, although
everything looked so fair and even under its covering of
still-falling snow. As there seemed to be little good in
continuing, we decided to camp, have our dinner of
savoury hot lobscouse, make out our longitude, and then
pass the time until it should clear again ; and if this did
not take place soon, then have a good sleep and be
ready to get under way as soon as the weather should
permit. After having slept for a couple of hours
(it was I o'clock in the morning), I turned out of
the tent and was confronted with the same thick, over-
cast weather, with only a strip of clear blue sky down
by the horizon in the south-west, so I let Johansen sleep
on and reckoned out our longitude, which proved to be
64° 20' E. We have drifted considerably westwards
since I last made it out, if my calculations be right.
While I was thus occupied I heard a suspicious gnawing-
noise outside in the direction of the kayaks. I listened,
and — quite right — it was the dogs up in Johansen's kayak.
I ran out, caught ' Haren,' who was just lying gnawing
at the portions of fresh dogs'-flesh destined for to-morrow's
consumption, and gave him a good thrashing for his pains.
The casing over the opening in the kayak was then
properly secured and snowshoes and sticks piled on.
172 Chapter V.
'' The weather is still the same, overcast and thick ;
but the wind has veered round to a more southerly
direction and the clear strip of blue sky in the south-
west has risen a little higher from the ice-margin— can
there be a west wind in prospect ? Welcome, indeed,
would it be, and longing were the glances I directed
tow^ards that blue strip — there lay sunshine and progress ;
perhaps, even, land was beneath it. I could see the
cumulus clouds sailing through the blue atmosphere, and
thought if only we were there, only had land under us, then
all our troubles w^ould sink Into oblivion. But material
needs must not be forgotten, and, perhaps, it would be
better to get Into the bag and have a good sleep while
waiting. Many times in the morning did I peep out
of the tent, but always saw the same cloudy sky and v
the same white prospect wherever the eye turned.
Down in the west and south-west was always the same ;
strip of clear blue sky, only that now^ it was lower again.
When we, at last, turned out in the forenoon, the
weather was just the same, and the azure strip on the
horizon in the south-west was still there. I think
it must have something to do with land, and it gives me .
hope that this may not be so far off. It is a tougher job
than we thought, this gaining land, but we have had many
enemies to make headway against — not only foul ice and
bad going, but also wind, water, and thick weather — all
of them equally obdurate adversaries to overcome."
'•Sunday, iMay 12th. + o-6° Fahr. (-17-5° C.).
A Hard Struggle. 173
Yesterday we had a better time than we expected.
Overcast and thick it was the whole time, and we felt our
way rather than saw it. The ice was not particularly
good either, but we pressed onwards, and had the satis-
faction now and then of travelling over several long
stretches of flat ice. A couple of channels which had
partly opened, hindered us somewhat. Curiously enough
the strip of clear sky was still there in the S.S.W. (true),
and as we went along, rose higher in the heavens. We
kept expecting it to spread, and that the weather would
clear ; we needed it sorely to find our way ; but the strip
never rose any higher, and yet remained there equally
clear. Then it sank again, and only a small rim was
left visible on the margin of the sky. Then this also
disappeared. I cannot help thinking that this strip must
have had something to do with land. At 7 o'clock this
morning we came to a belt of ice as bad, almost, as I have
ever seen it, and as I thought it unadvisable to make an
onslaught in such thick weather, we encamped. I hope
we did our 14 miles, and can reckon on only 90 more to
land, if it lie in 83° latitude. The ice is undoubtedly of
a different character from what it was previously : it is
less even, and old lanes and new ones, with ridges and
rubble, are more frequent, all seeming to point to the
vicinity of land.
'' Meanwhile time is going, and the number of dogs
diminishing. We have now twelve left ; yesterday
* Katta' was killed. And our provisions are also gradually
174 Chapter V.
on the decrease, though, thank Heaven, we have a good
deal remaining. The first tin of petroleum (2^ gallons)
came to an end three days ago, and we shall soon have
finished our second sack of bread. We do nothing but
scan the horizon longingly for land, but see nothing, even
when I climb up on to the highest hummocks with the
telescope.
'' Monday, May 13th. +8-6° Fahr. (-13° C); mini-
mum + 6'6° Fahr. ( — i4-2°C.) This is, indeed, a toilsome
existence. The number of the dogs and likewise their
hauling powers, diminish by degrees, and they are inert
and difficult to urge on. The ice grows worse and
worse as we approach land, and is, besides, covered with
much deeper and looser snow than before. It is par-
ticularly difficult to get on in the broken-up ice, where
the snow, although it covers up many irregularities,
at the same time lets one sink through almost up to one's
thighs between the pieces of ice, as soon as one takes one's
snowshoes off to help the sledge. It is extremely tiring
and shaky on this sort of surface to use one's snowshoes
not firmly secured to the feet, but one cannot have them
properly fastened on when one has to help the dogs
at any moment, or pull and tug at these eternal sledges.
I think in snow such as this Indian snow-shoes would be
preferable, and I only wish I had some. Meanwhile,
however, we covered some ground yesterday, and if I
reckon 20 miles for yesterday and to-day together I do
not think I shall be very far out. We should thus have
n
A Hard Struggle. 175
only about 50 miles to the 83rd parallel and the land
which Payer determined. We are keeping a somewhat
southerly course, about due south (true), as this continual
east wind is certainly driving us westwards, and I do not
like the idea of drifting west past land. It is beginning
to be tolerably warm inside the bag at night now, and
last night I could hardly sleep for heat."
''Tuesday, May 14th. + 6-8° Fahr. (- 14^^ C).
Yesterday was a cosy day of rest. Just as we were
about to get under way after breakfast it clouded over,
and a dense snow-storm set in, so that to start out in
such weather, in the uneven ice we have now before us,
would not have been worth while. I therefore made up
my mind to halt for the time being and get some trifles
done, and in particular the shifting of the load from the
birch-sledge on to the two others, and so at last get rid
of this third sledge, for which we can no longer spare
any dogs. This took some time, and as it was absolutely
necessary to do it, we lost nothing by stopping for a day.
''We had now so much wood from the sledge, together
with broken snowshoe staves and the results of other
casualties, that I thought we should be able to use it
as fuel for some time to come, and so save the petroleum.
We accordingly made a fire of it to cook the supper
with, contrived a cooking-pot out of the empty petroleum
tin, and hung it over in the approved fashion. At the
first start-off we lighted the fire just outside the tent-door
but soon gave that up, as, for the first thing, w^e nearly
176 Chapter V.
burned up the tent, and, secondly, the smoke came in till
we could hardly see out of our eyes. But it warmed
well and looked wonderfully cheerful. Then we moved
it farther off, where it could neither burn up the tent, nor
smoke us out ; but therewith all the joy of it was
departed. When we had about burned up the whole
sledge and succeeded in getting a pot of boiling water,
with the further result of having nearly melted through
the floe on which we were living, I gave up the idea of
cooking with sledges and went back to our trusty
friend the ' Primus,' and a sociable and entertaining
friend, too, which one can have by one's side as one
lies in the bag. We have as much petroleum, I
should imagine, as v/e shall require for the journey
before us, and why bother about anything else ? If
the petroleum should come to an end too soon, why,
then we can get as much train-oil from bear and seal
and walrus as we shall require. I am very anxious
to see the result of our reloading. Our two kayak
sledges have undoubtedly become somewhat heavier, but
then we shall have six dogs to each as long as they last.
Our patience has been rewarded at last with the most
brilliant sunshine and sparkling sky. It is so warm
in the tent that I am lying basking in the heat. One
might almost think one's self under an awning on a
summer's day at home. Last night it was almost too
warm to sleep."
The ice kept practicable to a certain extent during
A Hard Struggle. 177
these days, though the lanes provided us with many
an obstacle to overcome. Then, in addition to this,
the dogs' strength was failing, they were ready to stop
at the slightest unevenness, and we did not make much
way. On Thursday, May i6th, I write in my diary:
'' Several of the dogs seem to be much exhausted.
* Baro ' (the leader of my team) gave in yesterday.
He could hardly move at last, and was slaughtered
for supper. Poor animal. He hauled faithfully to the
end.
"It was Johansen's birthday yesterday ; he completed
his twenty-eighth year, and of course a feast was held
in honour of the occasion. It consisted of lobscouse, his
favourite dish, followed by some good hot lime-juice
grog. The midday sun made it warm and comfortable
in the tent. Six'a.m. + 3-6° Fahr. (— 15*8° C).
'' Have to-day calculated our latitude and longitude for
yesterday, and find it was St,° 36' N. and 59° 55' E.
Our latitude agrees exactly with what I supposed
according to the dead reckoning, but our longitude is
almost alarmingly westerly, in spite of the fact that our
course has been the whole time somewhat southerly.
There appears to be a strong drift in the ice here, and it
will be better for us to keep east of the south, in order
not to drift past land. To be quite certain, I have again
reckoned out our observations of April 7th and 8th,
but find no error, and cannot think otherwise than that
we are about riorht. Still it seems remarkable that we
o
VOL. II. N
lyS Chapter V.
have not yet seen any signs of land. Ten p.m., + i '4"
Fahr. (- 17° C.)."
*' Friday, May 17th. + 12-4° Fahr. (- 10-9° C.) ;
minimum — 19° C. To-day is the ' Seventeenth of
May ' — Constitution Day. I felt quite certain that by
to-day, at any rate, we should have been on land some-
where or other, but fate wills otherwise ; we have not
even seen a sign of it yet. Alas ! here I lie in the bag,
dreaming day-dreams and thinking of all the rejoicings
at home, of the children's processions and the undulating
mass of people at this moment in the streets. How
welcome a sight to see the flags, with their red bunting,
waving in the blue spring atmosphere, and the sun
shining through the delicate young green of the leaves.
And here we are in drifting ice, not knowing exactly
where we are, uncertain as to our distance from an
unknown land, where we hope to find means of sustaining
life and thence carve our way on towards home ; with
two teams of dogs whose numbers and strength diminish
day by day, and between us and our goal ice and water
which may cause us untold trouble, with sledges which
now, at any rate, are too heavy for our own powers. We
press laboriously onwards mile by mile ; and meanwhile,
perhaps, the drift of the ice is carrying us westwards out
to sea, beyond the land we are striving for. A toilsome
life, undeniably, but there will be an end to it some time ;
some time we shall reach it, and meanwhile our flag for
the ' Seventeenth of May ' shall wave above the eighty-
I
A Hard Struggle. 179
third parallel, and if fate send us the first sight of land
to-day our joy will be twofold.
"Yesterday was a hard day. The weather was fine,
even brilliant, the going splendid, and the ice good, so
that one had a right to expect progress w^ere it not for
the dogs. They pull up at everything, and for the man
ahead it is a continual going over the same ground three
times : first to find a way and make a track, and then
back again to drive on the dogs ; it is slow work indeed.
Across quite flat ice the dogs keep up to the mark
pretty well, but at the first difficulty they stop. I tried
harnessing myself in front of them yesterday, and it
answered pretty well ; but when it came to finding the
way in foul ice it had to be abandoned.
''In spite of everything, we are pushing forward, and
eventually shall have our reward ; but for the time being
this would be ample could we only reach land and land-
ice without these execrable lanes. Yesterday we had
four of them. The first that stopped us did not
cause immoderate trouble ; then we went over a
short bit of middling ice, though with lane after
lane and ridges. Then came another bad lane,
necessitating a circuit. After this we traversed some
fairly good ice, this time considerably more of it
than previously, but soon came to a lane, or rather a
pool, of greater size than we had ever seen before,
exactly what the Russians would call a 'polynja.'
It was covered with young ice too weak to bear.
N 2
i8o Chapter V.
We started confidently alongside it in a south-westerly
direction (true), in the belief that we should soon find
a way across ; but ' soon ' did not come. Just where
we expected to find a crossing, an overwhelming sight
presented itself to our gaze : the pool stretched away
in a south-westerly direction to the very horizon, and
we could see no end to it ! In the mirage on the
horizon, a couple of detached blocks of ice rose above
the level of the pool ; they appeared to be floating in
open water, changed constantly in shape, and disappeared
and reappeared. Everything seemed to indicate that
the pool debouched right into the sea in the west.
From the top of a high hummock I could, however,
with the glass see ice on the other side, heightened
by the looming. But it was anything but certain
that it really was situated at the western end of the
pool ; more probably, it indicated a curve in the direction
of the latter. What was to be done here ? To get over
seemed for the moment an impossibility. The ice was
too thin to bear and too thick to set the kayaks
through, even if we should mend them. How long
it might take at this time of year for the ice to
become strong enough to bear, I did not know, but
one day would scarcely do it. To settle down and wait,
therefore, seemed too much. How far the pool
extended and how long we might have to travel
along it before we found a crossing and could again
keep to our course no one could tell ; but the
:>< ft
A Hard Struggle.
i«i
probability was a long time, perhaps days. On the
other hand, to retreat in the direction whence we came
seemed an unattractive alternative: it would lead us
away from our goal, and also perhaps necessitate a long
journey in an opposite direction before we could find a
crossing. The pool extended true S. 50° W. To follow
it would undoubtedly take us out of our course, which
ought now properly to be east of south ; but on the
whole this direction was nearest the line of our advance,
and consequently we decided to try it. After a short
time we came to a new lane running in a transverse
direction to the pool. Here the ice was strong enough to
bear, and on examining the ice on the pool itself beyond
the confluence of this lane I found a belt where the
young ice had through pressure been jammed up in
several layers. This happily was strong enough to bear,
and we got safely over the pool, the trend of which we
had been prepared to follow for days. Then on we went
again, though in toil and tribulation, until at half-past
eight in the evening we again found ourselves confronted
by a pool, or lane, of exactly the same description as
the former one, with the exception only that this time
the view to the ' sea ' opened towards the north-east,
while in the south-west the sky-line w^as closed in
by ice. The lane also was covered w^ith young ice,
which in the middle was obviously of the same age
as that on the last pool. Near the edge there was
some thicker and older ice, which would bear, and over
1 82 Chapter V
which I went on snowshoes to look for a crossing, but
found none as- far as I went. The strip of ice along
the middle, sometimes broad and sometimes narrow,
was everywhere too thin to risk taking the sledges over.
We consequently decided to camp and wait till to-day,
when it is to be hoped the ice will be strong enough to
bear. And here we are still, with the same lane in front of
us. Heaven only knows what surprises the day will bring.
" Sunday, May 19th. The surprise which the Seven-
teenth brought us was nothing less than that we found
the lanes about here full of narwhals. When we had
just got under way, and were about to cross over the
lane we had been stopped by the previous day, I became
aware of a breathing noise, just like the blowing of
whales. I thought at first it must be from the dogs,
but then I heard for certain that the sound came from
the lane. I listened. Johansen had heard the noise
the whole morning, he said, but thought it was only ice
jamming in the distance. No, that sound I knew well
enough, I thought, and looked over towards an opening in
the ice whence I thought it proceeded. Suddenly I saw a
movement which could hardly be falling ice, and — quite
right — up came the head of a whale ; then came the
body : it executed the well-known curve, and disappeared.
Then up came another, accompanied by the same sound.
There was a whole school of them. I shouted that
they were whales, and running to the sledge, had my gun
out in a second. Then came the adjusting of a
A Hard Struggle. 183
harpoon, and after a little work this was accomplished,
and I was ready to start in pursuit. Meanwhile the
animals had disappeared from the opening in the ice
where I had first seen them, though I heard their
breathing from some openings farther east. I followed
the lane in that direction, but did not come within
range, although I got rather near them once or twice.
They came up in comparatively small openings in the
ice, which w^ere to be found along the whole length
of the lane. There was every prospect of being
able to get a shot at them if we stopped for a day to
watch the holes ; but we had no time to spare, and
could not have taken much with us had we got one, as
the sledges were heavy enough already. We soon
found a passage over, and continued our journey with
the flags hoisted on the sledges in honour of the day.
As we were going so slowly now that it was hardly
possible for things to be worse, I determined at our
dinner-hour that I really would take off the under-runners
from my sledge. The change was unmistakable : it
was not like the same sledge. Henceforth we got on
well, and after a while the under-runners from Johansen's
sledge were also removed. As we furthermore came on
some good ice later in the day, our progress was quite
unexpectedly good, and when we stopped at half-past
eleven yesterday morning, I should think we had gone
10 miles during our day's march. This brings us down
to latitude S;^"^ 20' or so.
184 Chapter V.
" At last then we have come down to latitudes which
have been reached by human beings before us, and it
cannot possibly be far to land. A little while before
we halted yesterday, we crossed a lane, or pool,
exactly like the two previous ones, only broader still.
Here, too, I heard the blowing of w^hales, but although
I was not far from the hole whence the noise presumably
came, and although the opening there was quite small,
I could perceive nothing. Johansen, who came after-
wards with the dogs, said that as soon as they reached
the frozen lane the dogs got scent of something and wanted
to go against the wind. Curious that there should be so
many narwhals in the lanes here.
" The ice we are now travelling over is surprisingly
bad. There are few or no new ridges, only small older
irregularities, with now and then deep snow in between,
and then these curious broad, endless lanes, which
resemble each other, and run exactly parallel, and are all
unlike those we have met before. They are remarkable
from the fact that, while formerly I always observed
the ice on the north side of the lane to drift westwards
in comparison with that which lay on the south side, the
reverse was here the case. It was the ice on the south
side which drifted westwards.
'' As I am afraid that we are continually drifting rapidly
westwards, I have kept a somewhat easterly course —
S.S.E. or east of that, according as the drift necessitates.
We kept the Seventeenth of May — on the 1 8th it is true
A Hard Struggle. 185
— by a feast of unsurpassed magnificence, consisting of
lobscouse, stewed red whortleberries, mixed with vril-food,
and stamina lime-juice mead {i.e., a concoction of lime-
juice tablets and Frame Food stamina tablets dissolved
in water), and then, having eaten our fill, crawled into
our bag."
As we gradually made our way southwards, the ice
became more impracticable and difficult to travel over.
We still came across occasional good flat plains, but
they were often broken up by broad belts of jammed-up
ice and in a measure by channels which hindered our
advance. On May 19th I write: " I climbed to the top
of the highest hummock I have yet been up. I
measured it roughly, and made it out to be about 24 feet
above the ice whence I had climbed up ; but as this
latter was considerably above the surface of the water,
the height was probably 30 feet or so. It formed the
crest of quite a short and crooked pressure-ridge, con-
sisting of only small pieces of ice."
That day we came across the first tracks of bears
which we had seen on our journey over the ice. The
certainty that we had got down to regions where these
animals are to be found, and the prospect of a ham, made
us very joyous. On May 20th there was a tremendous
snow-storm, through which it was impossible to see our
way on the uneven ice. " Consequently there is nothing
for it but to creep under the cover again and sleep as
long as one can. Hunger at last, though, is too much
1 86 Chapter V.
for us, and I turn out to make a stew of delicious liver
' pate.' Then a cup of whey drink, and into the bag
again, to write or slumber as we list. Here we are, with
nothing to do but to wait till the weather changes and
we can go on.
" We can hardly be far from S^'^ lo' N., and should
have gained Petermann's Land if it be where Payer
supposed. Either we must be unconscionably out of our
bearings, or the country very small. Meanwhile, I sup-
pose, this east wind is driving us westward, out to sea,
in the direction of Spitzbergen. Heaven alone knows
what the velocity of the drift may be here. Oh well, I
am not in the least down-hearted. We still have ten dogs,
and should we drift past Cape Fligely, there is land
enough west of us, and that we can hardly mistake.
Starve we scarcely can ; and if the worst should come to
the worst, and we have to make up our minds to winter
up here, we can face that too — if only there were nobody
waiting at home. But we shall get back before the
winter. The barometer is falling steadily, so that it will
be a case of patience long drawn out, but we shall
manage all right."
On the afternoon of the following day (May 21st)
we were at last able to get off, though the weather was
still thick and snowy, and we often staggered along like
blind men. "As the wind was strong and right at our
back, and as the ice was fairly even, I at last put a sail
to my sledge. It almost went by itself, but did not in
A Hard Struggle. 187
the least change the dogs' pace ; they kept the same slow
time as before. Poor beasts, they become more and
more tired, and the going is heavy and loose. We
passed over many newly frozen pools that day, and some
time previously there must have been a remarkable
quantity of open water.
"I do not think I exceed when I put down our day's
march at 14 miles, and we ought to have latitude
St,"^ behind us, but as yet no sign of land. This is
becoming rather exciting.
'' Friday, May 24th. + i8-8° Fahr. (-7-4° C). Mini-
mum — 1 1 -4° C. Yesterday was the worst day we have
yet had. The. lane we had before us when we stopped
the previous day proved to be worse than any of the
others had been. After breakfast at i a.m., and while
Johansen was engaged in patching the tent, I trudged
off to look for a passage across, but was away for three
hours without finding any. There was nothing for it but
to follow the bend of the lane eastwards and trust to
getting over eventually ; but it turned out to be a longer
job than we had anticipated. When we came to the
place where it appeared to end, the surrounding ice-mass
was broken up in all directions, and the floes were grinding
against each other as they tore along. There was no
safe passage across to be found anywhere. Where at one
moment, perhaps, I might have crossed over, at the next,
when I had brought the sledges up, there was only
open water. Meanwhile we executed some intricate
1 88 Chapter V.
manoeuvring from floe to floe, always farther east, In i
order to get round. The ice jammed under and around ,
us, and it was often a difficult matter to get through. ]
Often did we think we were well across, when still worse ^
lanes and cracks in front of us met our disappointed gaze. '
It was enough sometimes to make one despair. ^
'* There seemed to be no end to it ; wherever one ^
turned were yawning channels. On the overcast sky I
the dark, threatening reflection of water was to be seen j
in all directions. It really seemed as if the ice was :
entirely broken up. Hungry and almost tired to death i
we were, but determined, if possible, to have our troubles <
behind us before we stopped for dinner. But at last j
matters came to a hopeless pitch, and at i o'clock, after |
nine hours' work, we decided to have a meal. It is a I
remarkable fact that, let things be as bad as they may, I
once in the bag, and with food In prospect, all one's
troubles sink into oblivion. The human being becomes a
happy animal, which eats as long as It can keep its eyes
open, and goes to sleep with the food in its mouth. Oh, |
blissful state of heedlessness ! But at 4 o'clock we had to |
turn to again at the apparently hopeless task of threading I
the maze of lanes. As a last drop in our cup of misery, :
the weather became so thick and shadowless that one *
literally could not see if one were walking up against a f
wall of ice or plunging into a pit. Alas, we have only ,'
too much of this mist! How many lanes and cracks we
w^ent across, how many huge ridges we clambered over, ;
A Hard Struggle. 189
dragging the heavy sledges after us, I cannot say, but
very many. They twisted and turned in all directions,
and water and slush met us everywhere.
'' But everything comes to an end, and so did this.
After another two-and-a-half hours' severe exertion we
had put the last lane behind us, and before us lay a
lovely plain. Altogether we had now been at this sort
of work for nearly twelve hours, and I had, in addition,
followed the lane for three hours in the morning, which
made fifteen altogether. We were thoroughly done,
and wet too. How many times we had gone through the
deceptive crust of snow which hides the water between
the pieces of ice, it is impossible to say. Once during
the morning I had had a narrow escape. I was going
confidently along on snowshoes over what I supposed
to be solid ice, when suddenly the ground began to sink
beneath me. Happily there were some pieces of ice not
far off on which I succeeded in throwing myself, while
the water washed over the snow I had just been
standing on. I might have had a long swim for it
through the slush, which would have been anything but
pleasant, particularly seeing that I was alone.
'* At last we had level ice before us ; but, alas, our
happiness was destined to be short-lived. From the
dark belt of clouds on the sky we saw that a new
channel was in prospect, and at eight in the evening we
had reached it. I was too tired to follow the trend of
the lane (it was not short) in order to find a crossing,
190 Chapter V.
particularly as another channel was visible behind it. It
was also impossible to see the ice around one in the
heavily falling snow. It was only a question, therefore,
of finding a camping-place ; but this was easier said than
done. A strong north wind was blowing, and no shelter
was to be found from it on the level ice we had just got
on to. Every mound and irregularity was examined as
we passed by it in the snow-storm, but all were too small.
We had to content ourselves at last with a little
pressed-up hummock, which we could just get under the
lee of. Then, again, there was too little snow, and only
after considerable work did we succeed in pitching the
tent. At last, however, the ' Primus ' was singing
cheerily inside it, the ' fiskegratin ' diffusing its savoury
odour, and two happy beings were ensconced comfortably
inside the bag, enjoying existence, and satisfied, if not,
indeed, at having done a good day's march, yet in the
knowledge of having overcome a difficulty.
" While we were having breakfast to-day, I w^ent out
and took a meridian altitude, which, to our delight, made
us82°52VN.
" Sunday, May 26th. When the ice is as uneven as it is
now, the difficulty of making headway is incredible. The
snow is loose, and if one takes one's snowshoes off for a
moment one sinks in above one's knees. It is impossible
to fasten them on securely, as every minute one must
help the dogs with the sledges. Added to this, if the
weather be thick, as yesterday, one is apt to run into the
A Hard Struggle. 191
largest ridges or snow-drifts without seeing them ; every-
thing is equally white under its covering of new snow,
and the lieht comes from all directions, so that it throws
no shadows. Then one plunges in headlong, and with
difficulty can get up and on to one's snowshoes again.
This takes place continually, and the longer it lasts the
worse it gets. At last one literally staggers on one's
snowshoes from fatigue, just as if one were drunk. But
we are gaining ground, and that is the chief thing, be
one's shins ever so bruised and tender. This manner of
progress is particularly injurious to the ankles, on
account of the constant unsteadiness and swerving of
the snowshoes, and many a day have mine been much
swollen. The dogs, too, are becoming exhausted, which
is worse.
*' I have to-day reckoned out the observations made
yesterday, and find, to our joy, that the longitude is
61° 27' E., so that we have not drifted westwards,
but have come about south according to our course.
My constant fear of drifting past land is thus unfounded,
and we should be able to reckon on reaching it before
very long. We may possibly be farther east than we
suppose, but hardly farther west, so that if we now go
due south for a while, and then south-west, we must
meet with land, and this within not many days. I
reckon that we did 20 miles southwards yesterday,
and should thus be now in latitude 82° 40' N. A couple
more days, and our latitude will be very satisfactory.
192 Chapter V.
" The ice we have before us looks practicable, but,
to judge by the sky, we have a number of waterways a
little farther on ; we must manage somehow to fight our
way across them. I should be very reluctant to mend
the kayaks just now^ before we have reached land and
firm land ice. They require a thorough overhauling,
both as to frames and covers. My one thought now is
to get on while we still have some dogs, and thus use
them up.
"A comfortable Sunday morning in the tent to-day.
These observations put me in good spirits ; life seems to
look bright before us. Soon we must be able to start
homewards at good speed and across open water. Oh,
what a pleasure it will be to handle paddle and gun
again, instead of this continual toil with the sledges !
Then, too, the shouting to the dogs to go on — it seems
to w^ear and tear one's ears and every nerve in one's
body.
" Monday, May 27th. Ever since yesterday morning
we have seen the looming of water on the sky ; it is the
same looming that we saw on the previous day, and I set
our course direct for the place where, to judge by it, there
should be the greatest accumulation of ice, and where,
consequently, a crossing should be easiest. During the
course of the dfternoon we came on one lane after the
other, just as the water-sky had denoted, and towards
evening the dark heavens before us augured open watef,
of a worse kind. The reflection was particularly dark an<
A Hard Struggle. 193
threatening, both in the west and in the east. By
7 o'clock I could see a broad lane before us, stretching
away west and east as far as the eye could reach from
the highest hummock. It was broad, and appeared to be
more impracticable than any of the previous ones. As
the dogs were tired, our day's march had been a good one,
and we had a splendid camping-place ready to hand,
we decided to pitch the tent. Well satisfied and certain
that we were now in latitude 82^°, and that land must
inevitably be near, we disappeared into the bag.
" During breakfast this morning I went out and took
a meridian altitude. It proves that we have not deceived
ourselves. We are in latitude 82° 30' N., perhaps even
a minute or two farther south. But it is growing more
and more remarkable that we see no sign of land. I
cannot explain it in any other way than that we are some
degrees farther east than we suppose. "^ That we should
be so much farther west as to enable us to pass entirely
clear of Petermann's Land and Oscar's Land, and not
so much as get a glimpse of them, I consider an
impossibility. I have again looked at our former
observations ; have again gone through our dead
reckoning, the velocity and directions of the wind, and
* In point of fact we were then about 6° farther east than we
thought. I had on April 14th, it will be remembered (compare my
notes for that day), surmised that the longitude I then set down
(86° E.) was more westerly than that we were actually in.
VOL. ir. o
194 Chapter V.
all the possibilities of drift during the days which
passed between our last certain observation for longitude
(April 8th) and the day when, according to the dead
reckoning, we assumed ourselves to be in longitude
86° E. (April 13th). That there should be any great
mistake is inconceivable. The ice can hardly have
had such a considerable drift during those particular
days, seeing that our dead reckoning In other respects
tallied so well with the observations.
"Yesterday evening 'Kvik' was slaughtered. Poor
thing, she was quite worn out, and did little or nothing
in the hauling line. I w^as sorry to part with her, but
what was to be done? Even If we should get fresh meat,
it would have taken some time to feed her up again,
and then, perhaps, we should have had no use for her,
and should only have had to kill her after all. But a
fine big animal she was, and provided food for three
days for our remaining eight dogs.
'' I am in a continual state of wonderment at the Ice
we are now tra^ elling over. It is fiat and good, with
only smallish pieces of broken-up Ice lying about, and a
large mound or small ridge here and there, but all of it
is ice which can hardly be winter-old, or at any rate has
been formed since last summer. It is quite a rarity to
come across a small tract of older Ice, or even a single
old floe which has lain the summer through — so rare, In
fact, that at our last camping-place it was impossible to
find any Ice which had been exposed to the summer sun.
I
A Hard Struggle. 195
and consequently freed from salt. We were obliged to
be content with snow for our drinking-water.^ Certain
it is that where these great expanses of flat ice come
from there was open water last summer or autumn, and
that of no little extent, because we passed over many
miles of this compact Ice the whole day yesterday and
a good part of the previous day, besides which there
were formerly a considerable number of such tracts in
between older, summer-old Ice. There is little probability
that this should have been formed In the vicinity here-
abouts. More probably it has come from farther east or
south-east, and was formed in open water on the east
side of Wilczek's Land. I believe, consequently, that
this must indicate that there can be not a little open
ivatcr along the east or north-east coast of Wilczek's Land
in the summer or autnmn months ^
■''■ For melting water in the cooker it is better to use ice than snow,
particularly if the latter be not old and granular. Newly fallen snow
gives little water, and requires considerably more heat to warm it. That
part of salt-water ice which is above the surface of the sea, and, in
particular, prominent pieces which have been exposed to the rays of the
sun during a summer and are thus freed from the greater part of their
salt, furnish excellent drinking-water. Some expeditions have harboured
the superstition that drinking-water from ice in which there was the
least salt was injurious. This is a mistake which cost, for instance,
the members of the Jeannette expedition much unnecessary trouble, as
they thought it imperative to distil the water before they could drink it
without incurring the risk of scurvy.
t As will be understood by our later discoveries, my surmises were
not quite correct. We really were at that time north or north-east of
O 2
196 Chapter V.
'' Now followed a time when the lanes grew worse
than ever, and we began to toil in grim earnest. Lanes
and cracks went crosswise in every direction. The ice
was sometimes uneven, and the surface loose and heavy
between the irregularities.
"If one could get a bird's-eye view of this ice, the
lanes would form a veritable network of irregular
meshes. Woe to him who lets himself get entangled
in it !
*' Wednesday, May 29th. Yesterday I inaugurated a
great change, and began with 'komager.' It was an
agreeable transition. One's feet keep nice and dry now,
and one is furthermore saved the trouble of attending
to the Finn shoes""* night and morning. They were
beginning in this mild temperature to assume a texture
like our native 'lefser,' a kind of tough rye-cake. Then,
too, one need no longer sleep with wet rags on one's
chest and legs to dry them."
That day we saw our first bird : a fulmar {Procellai'ia
glacialis).
Wilczek's Land, which seems to be only a Httle island. MeariwhiU
there must have been extensive open water the previous autumn when
this ice was formed. But when it is shown later how much oj
water we saw on the north-west coast of Franz Josef Land even
winter, this can easily be imagined.
* Whereas Finn shoes are made of reindeer-skin with the hair on,"
*' komager " are made of under-tanned hide without hair, generally froi
the ox or bearded seal {Phoca barbata)^ with tops of reindeer-skin. Thej
are strong and waterproof (see description of equipment).
A Hard Strug-g-le. 197
" Thursday, iVIay 30th. At 5 o'clock yesterday
morning we set forth with the buoyancy born of the
belief that now at last the whole network of lanes
was behind us ; but we had not gone far before the
reflection of new channels appeared in front. I climbed
up on to a hummock as quickly as possible, but the
sight which met my eyes was anything but enlivening —
lane after lane, crossing and recrossing, in front of us
and on each side, as far as the eye could reach. It
looked as if it mattered little w^hat direction we chose :
it would be of no avail in orettinor out of the maze. I
made a lono- excursion on ahead to see if there micrht not
be a way of slipping through and over on the consecutive
flat sheets as we had done before ; but the ice appeared
to be broken up, and so it probably is all the way to land.
It was no longer with the compact, massive polar ice that
we had to deal, but with thin, broken-up pack-ice, at the
mercy of every wind of heaven, and we had to reconcile
•ourselves to the idea of scramblino- from floe to floe as
best we might. What would I not have given at this
moment for it to be March, with all its cold and
sufferings, instead of the end of May, and the thermo-
meter almost above 32° F. ? It was just this end of May
I had feared all along, the time at which I considered
it of the greatest importance to have gained land.
Unhappily my fears proved to be well founded. I
almost began to wish that it was a month or more
later ; the ice would then perhaps be slacker here, with
iqS Chapter V.
more open pools and lanes, so that in a measure one
could make one's way in a kayak. Well, who could tell?
This miserable thin young ice appeared to be utterly
treacherous, and there was a water-sky in every direction,,
but mostly far, far ahead. If only we were there! if only
we were under land ! Perhaps if the worst should come
to the worst, we may be reduced to waiting till over the
time when the mild weather and break-up of the ice come
in earnest. But have we provisions enough to wait till that
time ? This was, indeed, more than doubtful.
As I stood sunk in these gloomy reflections on the high
hummock, and looking southwards over the ice, seeing-
ridge after ridge, and lane after lane before me, I
suddenly heard the well-known sound of a whale blowings
from a lane close behind. It was the solution of my
troubles. Starve we should not ; there are animals here,
and we have guns, thank Heaven, and harpoons as well^
and we know how to use them. There was a whole
school of narwhals in the lane breathing and blowing*^
ceaselessly. As some high ice hid them from view for a
great part, I could only see their grey backs, now and
then, as they arched themselves over the black surface
of the water. I stood a long while looking at them, and
had I had my gun and harpoon, it would have been an
easy matter to get one. After all, the prospect was not
so bad at present ; and meanwhile what we had to do
was not to mind lanes, but to keep on our course
S.W. or S.\\\ to S. o\'er them, and push on the best
A Hard Struggle. 199
we could. And with that resolution I returned to the
sledges. Neither of us, however, had a very firm belief
that we should get much farther, and therefore all the
more elated did we become as our advance proved by
degrees to be tolerably easy, in spite of our exhausted dogs.
" While we were making our way during the morning
between some lanes, I suddenly saw a black object come
rushing through the air ; it was a black guillemot (twia
gry/le), and it circled round us several times. Not long-
afterwards I heard a curious noise in a south-w^esterly
direction ; something like the sound made by a goat's
horn when blown on ; I heard it many times, and
Johansen also remarked it, but I could not make out
what it was. An animal, at all events, it must be, as
human beings are hardly likely to be near us here.^ A
little while later a fulmar came sailing towards us and
flew round and round just over our heads. I got out
my gun, but before I had a cartridge in, the bird had
gone again. It is beginning to grow lively here; it is
cheering to see so much life, and gives one the feeling
that one is approaching land and kindlier regions. Later
on I saw a seal on the ice ; it was a little ringed seal,
which it would have been a satisfaction to capture, but
before I had quite made out which it was, it had
disappeared into the water.
* It was undoubtedly from seals, which often utter a sound like a
protracted "ho."
200 Chapter V.
** At ten o'clock we had dinner, which we shall no longer
eat in the bag, in order to save time. We have also
decided to shorten our marches to eight hours or so
in the day on account of the dogs. At 1 1 o'clock,
after dinner, we started off again, and at three stopped
and camped. I should imagine we went seven miles
yesterday, or let me say between twelve and fifteen
during the last two days ; the direction being about
south-west ; every little counts.
"In front of us on the horizon we have a water-sky, or
at any rate a reflection which is so sharply defined and
remains so immovable that it must either be over open
water or dark land ; our course just bears on it. It is a
good way off, and the water it is over can hardly be
of small extent ; I cannot help thinking that it must be
under land. May it be so ! But between us, to judge
by the sky, there seem to be plenty of lanes.
''The ice is still the same nowadays, barely of the
previous winter's formation, where it is impossible to find
any suitable for cooking. It seems to me that it is here, if
possible, thinner than ever, with a thickness of from 2 to
3 feet. The reason of this I am still at a loss to explain.
'' Friday, May 31st. It is wonderful ; the last day of
May — this month gone too without our reaching land ;
without even seeing it. June cannot surely pass in the
same manner — it is impossible that we can have far to
go now. I think everything seems to indicate this.
The ice becomes thinner and thinner, we see more and
A Hard Struggle. 201
more life around us, and in front is the same reflection of
water or land, whichever it may be. Yesterday I saw
two ringed seals {Pkoca foetidci) in two small lanes ; a
bird, probably a fulmar, flew over a lane here yesterday
•evening, and at midday yesterday we came on the fresh
tracks of a bear and two small cubs, which had followed
the side of a lane. There seem to be prospects of fresh
food in such surroundings, though, curiously enough,
neither of us has any particular craving for it ; we are
•quite satisfied with the food we have ; but for the dogs it
would be of great importance. We had to kill again last
night; this time it was ' Pan,' our best dog. It could
not be helped, he was quite worn out and could not do
much more. The seven dogs we have left can now live
three days on the food he provided.
" This is quite unexpected, the ice is very much broken
up here, mere pack-ice, were it not for some large floes or
flat spaces in between. If this ice had time to slacken it
would be easy enough to row between the floes. Some-
times when we were stopped by lanes yesterday, and I
went up on to some high hummock to look ahead, my
heart sank within me, and I thought we should be
•constrained to give up the hope ot getting farther ; it
was looking out over a very chaos of lumps of ice and
brash mixed together in open water. To jump from
piece to piece in such w^aters, with dogs, and two heavy
sledges following one, is not exactly easy ; but by means
of investigation and experiment we managed eventually
202
Chapter V.
to get over this lane too, and after going through rubble
for a while came upon flat ice again ; and thus it kept on
with new lanes repeatedly.
The ice we are now travelling over is almost entirely
new ice with occasional older floes in between. It
continues to grow thinner; here it is for the greater part
not more than 3 feet in thickness, and the floes are
as flat as when they were frozen. Yesterday evening,
however, we got on to a stretch of old ice on which we
are stationed now, but how far it extends it is difficult
to say. We camped yesterday at half-past six in the
evening and found fresh ice again for the cooker, which
was distinctly a pleasant change for the cook. We have
not had it since May 2 5th.^ A disagreeable wind from
the south, it is true, has sprung up this evening, and it
will be hard work going against it ; we have a great
deal of bad weather here, it is overcast nearly every
day, with wind ; south wind, which above everything is
least desirable just now. But what are we to do ? To-
settle down we have hardly provender enough ; there is-
nothing for it, I suppose, but to grind on.
* It was from about 82° 52' N. south to 82° 19' N. that we
travelled over young ice of this description ; that is to say, there must
have been open water over a distance of fully 32 English geographical
miles (33' of latitude). We also found ice of this kind farther south
for a long distance, and the open sea must have been considerabl>^
greater.
A Hard Struo-orle.
&&
" Took a meridian altitude to-day, and we should be
in 82° 21' N., and still no glimpse of land; this is
becoming more and more of an enigma. What would I
not give to set my foot on dry land now ; but patience,
always patience."
CHAPTER VI.
By Sledge and Kayak.
*' Saturday, June ist. So this is June. What has it
in store for us ? Will not this month either bring us the
land we are longing for ? Must hope and believe so,
though the time is drawing out. Luck, for the matter of
that, is a wonderful thing. I expected this morning as
little of the day as was well possible ; the weather was
thick and snowy, and we had a strong contrary wind. It
was no better when we came on a lane directly after we
started, which appeared to be nearly impassable ; every-
thing was dark and dull. However, the day turned out
to be better than we expected. By means of a detour
to the north-east, I found a passage across the lane
and we got on to long flat plains which we went over
until quite midday. And from five this afternoon we
had another hour and a-half of good ice, but that was
the end of it ; a lane which ran in several directions cut
off every means of advance, and although I spent more
than an hour and a-half in looking for a crossing, none
I
By Sledge and Kayak. 205
was to be found. There was nothing for it but to camp,
and hope that the morrow would bring an improvement.
Now the morrow* has come, but whether the improve-
ment has come likewise, and the lane has closed more
together, I do not yet know. We camped about nine
yesterday evening. As usual latterly, after nearly a
whole day of dismal snow, it suddenly cleared up as
soon as we began to pitch the tent. The wind
also went down, and the weather became beautiful,
with blue sky and light white clouds, so that one
might almost dream oneself far away to summer at
home. The horizon in the west and south-west was
clear enough, but nothing to be seen except the same
water-sky, which w^e have been steering for, and, happily,
it is obviously higher, so we are getting under it. If
only we had reached it. Yonder, there must be a change,
that I have no doubt of. How I long for that change !
" Curious how different things are. If we only reach
land before our provisions give out we shall think our-
selves well out of danger ; while to Payer it stood for
certain starvation if he should have to remain there and
not find Tegethoff digsAw. But then he had not been roam-
ing about in the drift-ice between ^2>^ and 86° for two
months-and-a-half, without seeing a living creature. Just
as were going to break up camp yesterday morning, we
suddenly heard the angry cry of an ivory gull ; there,
above us, beautiful and white, were two of them sailing
riorht over our heads. I thouoht of shootino- them, but
2o6 Chapter VI. ,
it seemed, on the whole, hardly worth while to expend
a cartridge apiece on such birds ; they disappeared
again, too, directly. A little while afterwards we heard
them again. As we were lying in the bag to-day, and
waiting for breakfast, we suddenly heard a hoarse scream
over the tent, something like the croaking of a crow. I
should imagine it must have been a gull [Larus
argent atus ?).
'' Is it not curious ? The whole night long, whenever
I was awake, did the sun smile in to us through our
silken walls, and it was so warm and light that I lay and
dreamed dreams of summer far from lanes and drudgery
and endless toil. How fair life seems at such moments,
and how bright the future ! But no sooner do I turn out
at half-past nine to cook, than the sun veils his
countenance and snow begins to fall. This happens
nearly every day now. Is it because he will have us
settle down here and wait for the summer and the
slackening of the ice and open water, will spare us
the toil of finding a way over this hopeless maze of
lanes ? I am loath, indeed, that this should come to
pass. Even if we could manage, as far as provisions
are concerned, by killing and eating the dogs, and with
a chance of game in prospect, our arrival in Spitzbergen
would be late, and we might not improbably have to pass
the winter there, and then those at home would have
another year to wait."
'' Sunday, June 2nd. So it is on Whit Sunday that
By Sledge and Kayak. 207
this book'"' finishes. I could hardly have Imagined that
we should still be in the drift-ice without seeing land ;
but fate wills otherwise and she knows no mercy.
" The lane which stopped us yesterday did not close,
but opened wider until there was a big sea to the west of
us, and we were living on a floe in the midst of it without
a passage across anywhere. So, at last, what we have
so often been threatened with has come to pass ; we
must set to work and make our kayaks seaworthy.
But first of all we moved the tent into a sheltered nook
of the hummock, where we are lying to, so that the wind
does not reach us, and we can imagine it is quite still
outside, instead of a regular ' mill-breeze ' blowing
from the south-west. To rip off the cover of my
kayak and get it into the tent to patch it was the work
of a very short time, and then we spent a comfortable,
quiet Whit Sunday evening in the tent. The cooker
was soon going, and we had some smoking hot lobscouse
for dinner, and I hardly think either of us regretted
he was not on the move ; it is undeniably good to make
a halt sometimes. The cover was soon patched and
ready; then I had to go out and brace up the frame
of my kayak, where most of the lashings are slack,
and must be lashed over again ; this will be no incon-
siderable piece of work ; there are at least forty of
them. However, only a couple of the ribs are split, so
It was the first diary I used on the sledge-journey.
208
Chapter VI.
the framework can easily be made just as good as before.
Johansen also took the cover off his kayak, and to-day
it is going to be patched.
" When both the frames are put in order and the
covers on, we shall be ready to start afresh, and to meet
REPAIRING THE KAYAKS.
every difficulty, be it lanes, pools, or open sea. It wi]
indeed, be with a feeling of security that we shall set forthJ
and there will be an end to this continual anxiety lest we
should meet with impassable lanes. I cannot conceive]
that anything now can prevent us from soon reaching!
By Sledge and Kayak. 209
land. It can hardly be long now before we meet with
lanes and open water in which we can row. There will
be a difficulty with the remaining dogs, however, and it
will be a case of parting with them. The dogs' rations
were portioned out yesterday evening, and we still have
part of 'Pan' for supper; but 'Klapperslangen' must go
too. We shall then have six dogs, which, I suppose, we can
keep four days, and still get on a good way with them.
'' Whitsuntide — there is something so lovely and
summer-like in the word. It is hard to think how
beautiful everything is now at home, and then to lie here
still, in mist and wind and ice. How homesick one grows ;
but what good does it do ? Little Liv will go to
dinner with her grandmother to-day ; perhaps they are
dressing her in a new frock at this very moment ! Well,
well, the time will come when I can go with her — but
when ? I must set to work on the lashings, and it will
be all right ! "
We worked with ardour during the following days
to get our kayaks ready, and even grudged the time
for eating. Twelve hours sometimes went by between
each meal, and our working-day often lasted for twenty
four hours. But all the same it took time to make these
kayaks fully seaworthy again. The worst of it was
that we had to be so careful with our materials, as the
opportunities of acquiring more were not immoderately
abundant. When, for instance, a rib had to be re-lashed,
we could not rip up the old lashing, but had to unwind
VOL. II. p
2IO Chapter VI.
It carefully in order not to destroy the line ; and when
there are many scores of such places to be re-lashed, this
takes time. Then, too, several of the bamboo ribs which
run along the side of the framework (particularly in
Johansen's kayak) were split, and these had wholly or
partly to be taken out and new ones substituted, or to be
strengthened by lashings and side splints. When the
covers were properly patched, and the frames after
several days' work again in order, the covers were put on
and carefully stretched. All this, of course, had to be
done with care, and was not quick work ; but then we
had the satisfaction of knowing that the kayaks were
fully seaworthy, and capable, if need be, of weathering
a storm on the way over to Spitzbergen.
Meanwhile the time flew by, our precious time ; but
then we hoped that our kayaks would render us
important assistance, and that we should get on all
the quicker in them. Thus, on Tuesday, June 4th, I
wrote in my diary : — " It seems to me that it cannot be
long before we come to open water or slack ice. The
latter is, hereabouts, so thin and broken up, and the
weather so summer-like. Yesterday the thermometer
was a little below freezing-point, and the snow whicl
fell was more like sleet than anything else ; it meltec
on the tent, and it was difficult to keep things froi
getting wet inside ; the walls dripped if we even wen^
near them. We had abominable weather the whol^
day yesterday, with falling snow, but for the matter ol
By Sledge and Kayak. 211
that we are used to it ; we have had nothing else lately.
To-day, however, it is brilliant, clear blue sky, and the
sun has just come over the top of our hummock and
down into the tent. It will be a glorious day to sit
out and work in ; not like yesterday, when all one's
tackle got wet ; it is worst of all when one is lashing,
for then one cannot keep the line taut. This sun is
a welcome friend ; I thought I was almost tired of it
before when it was always there ; but how glad we are
to see it now, and how it cheers one. I can hardly
get it out of my head that it is a glorious fresh
June morning home by the bay. Only let us soon have
water so that we can use our kayaks, and it will not be
long before we are home.
*' To-day, "^ for the first time on the whole of this
journey, we have dealt out rations for breakfast, both of
butter, if ozs., and aleuronate bread, 6| ozs. We must
keep to weights in order to be certain the provisions will
last out, and I shall take stock properly of what we have
left before we go farther.
" Happiness is, indeed, short-lived. The sun has gone
again, the sky is overcast, and snowflakes are beginning
to fall.
* Until this day we had eaten what we required without weighing
out rations. It proved that after all we did not eat more than I
had originally allowed per day, i.e.^ i kilo, of dried food. We now
reduced these day's rations considerably.
P 2
212 Chapter VI.
" Wednesday, June 5th. Still at the same spot,
but it is to be hoped it will not be long before we
are able to get off. The weather was fine yesterday-
after all, and it was summer-like to sit out and work
and bask in the sun ; and then to look out over
the water and the ice, with the glittering waves and
snow.
'' Yesterday we shot our first game. It was an ivory
gull {Larus eberneus), which went flying over the tent.
There were other gulls here, yesterday, too, and we saw
as many as four at once ; but they kept at a distance.
I went after them once and missed my mark. One
cartridge wasted ; this must not be repeated. If we
had taken the trouble we could easily have got more
gulls ; but they are too small game, and it is also too
early to use up our ammunition. In the pool here I saw
a seal, and Johansen saw one too. We have both seen
and heard narwhals. There is life enough here, and if
the kayaks were in order, and we could row out on
the water, I have no doubt we could get some-
thing. However, it is not necessary yet. We havi
provisions enough at present, and it is better t
employ the time in getting on, on account of th(
dogs, though it would be well if we could gel
some big game, and not kill any more of the
until our ice journey is over, and we take t<
the kayaks for good. Yesterday we had t(
kill ' Klapperslangen.' He gave twenty - five rations,
By Sledge and Kayak. 213
which will last the six remaining dogs four days.
The slaughtering was now entirely Johansen's business ;
he had achieved such dexterity that with a single thrust of
my long Lapp knife he made an end of the animal, so
that it had no time to utter a sound, and after a few
minutes, with the help of the knife and our little axe, he
had divided the animal into suitable doles. As I men-
tioned before, w^e left the skin and hair on ; the former
was carefully eaten up, and the only thing left after the
dogs' meal was, as a rule, a tuft of hair here and there
on the ice, some claws, and, perhaps, a well-gnawed
cranium, the hard skull being too much for them.
" They are beginning to be pretty well starved now.
Yesterday ' Lilleraeven ' ate up the toe-strap (the
reindeer-skin which is placed under the foot to prevent
the snow from balling), and a little of the wood of
Johansen's snowshoes which the dog had pulled down
on to the ice. The late ' Kvik ' ate up her sail-cloth
harness, and I am not so sure these others do not indulge
in a fragment of canvas now and then.
'' I have just reckoned out our longitude according to
an observation taken with the theodolite yesterday, and
make it to be 61° 16*5' E. ; our latitude was 82° 17-8 N.
I cannot understand why we do not see land. The
only possible explanation must be that we are farther
east than we think, and that the land stretches south-
wards in that direction, but we cannot have much farther
to go now. Just at this moment a bird flew over us
214 Chapter VI.
which Johansen, who is standing just outside the tent,
took to be a kind of sandpiper.
*' Thursday, June 6th. Still on the same spot. I am
longing to get off, see what things look like, and have a
final solution of this riddle which is constantly before me.
It will be a real pleasure to be under way again with whole
tackle, and I cannot help thinking that we shall soon be
able to use our kayaks in open water. Life would be
another thing then ! Fancy, to get clear for good of
this ice and these lanes, this toil with the sledges, and
endless trouble with the dogs, only oneself in a light
craft dancing over the waves at play ! It is almost
too much to think of Perhaps we have still many a
hard turn before we reach it, many a dark hour ; but some
time it must come, and then — then life will be life again !
" Yesterday at last we finished mending the frame-
work of both kayaks. We rigged up some "plaited
bamboo at the bottom of each to place the provisions on,
in order to prevent them from getting wet in case the
kayaks should leak. To-day w^e have only to go over
them again, test the lashings, and brace (support; those
that may require it, and finally put the covers on. To-
morrow evening I hope we shall get off. This repairing
has taken it out of the cord ; of our three balls we have
rather less than one left. This I am very anxious to
keep, as we may require it for fishing and so forth.
*' Our various provisions are beginning to dwindle.
Weighed the butter yesterday, and found that we only
By Sledge and Kayak. 215
had 5 lbs. I oz. If we reckon our daily ration at i^ozs.
per man, it will last another 23 days, and by that time we
shall have gone a little farther. To-day, for the first
time, I could note down a temperature above freezing
point, i.e., +35*6° Fahr. this morning. The snow out-
side was soft all through, and the hummocks are
dripping. It will not be long now before we find water
on the floes. Last night, too, it absolutely rained. It was
only a short shower ; first of all it drizzled, then came
large, heavy drops, and we took shelter inside the tent
in order not to get wet — but it was rain, rain ! It was
quite a summer feeling to sit in here and listen to the
drops plashing on the tent-wall. As regards the going,
this thaw will probably be a good thing if we should
have frost again ; but if the snow is to continue as it
is now it will be a fine mess to get through among
all these ridges and hummocks. Instead of such a
contingency, it would be better to have as much rain
as possible, to melt and wash the ice clear of snow.
Well, well, it must do as it likes. It cannot be long
now before it takes a turn for the better — land or open
water, whichever it may be.
*' Saturday, June 8th. Finished and tried the kayaks
yesterday at last, but only by dint of sticking to our
work from the evening of the day before yesterday to the
evening of yesterday. It is remarkable that we are able
to continue working so long at a stretch. If we were at
home we should be very tired and hungry, with so many
2i6 Chapter VI.
working hours between meals ; but here it does not seem
more than it should be, although our appetites, certainly,
are first-rate, and our sleeping powers good. It does not
seem as if we were growing weak or sickening for scurvy-
just yet. As a matter of fact, so far as I know, we are
unusually strong and healthy just now and in full
elasticity.
'' When we tried the kayaks in a little lane just here,
we found them considerably leaky in the seams and also
in the canvas owing to their rough usage on the way, but
it is to be hoped no more so than will be remedied when
a little soaking makes the canvas swell out. It will not
be agreeable to ferry over lanes and have to put our
kayaks dry and leaky on the water. Our provisions may
not improbably be reduced to a pulp ; but we shall have
to put up with that, too, like everything else.
'' And so we really mean to get off to-day, after a
week's stay on the same spot. Yesterday the south-east
wind set in ; it has increased to-day, and become rather
strong, to judge by the whistling round the hummocks
outside. I lay here this morning fancying I heard the
sound of breakers a little way off. All the lanes about
here closed yesterday, and there was little open water to
be seen. It is owing to this wind, I suppose, and if it is
going to close lanes for us, then let it blow on. The
snow is covered with a crust of ice, the going is as
good as possible, and the ice, it is to be hoped, is more
or less flat, so we shall be all right.
By Sledge and Kayak. 2 1 7
" Johansen shot another ivory gull yesterday, and we
had it and another one for dinner. It was our, first taste
of fresh food, and was, it cannot be denied, very good ;
but all the same not so delightful as one would expect,
seeing that we have not had fresh meat for so many
months. It is a proof, no doubt, that the food we have
is also good.
" Weighed the bread yesterday ; found we had 26 lbs.
4 ozs. of wheaten bread and 17 lbs. i oz. of aleuronate
bread, so, for that matter, we can manage for another
thirty-five or forty days, and how far we shall then have
got the gods alone know, but some part of the w^ay it
must be.
'' Sunday, June 9th. We got away from our camping-
ground at last yesterday, and we were more than pleased.
In spite of the weather, which was as bad as it could
be, with a raging snow-storm from the east, we were
both glad to begin our wanderings again. It took
some time to fix grips under the kayaks, consisting
of sack, sleeping-bag, and blankets, and so load the
sledges ; but eventually we made a start. We got
well off the floe we had lived on so long, and did not
even have to use the kayaks which we had spent a
week in patching for that purpose. The wind had
carefully closed the lanes. We found flat ice country,
and made good way in spite of the most villainous
going, with newly fallen snow, which stuck to one's
snowshoes mercilessly, and in which the sledges stood
2i8 Chapter VI.
as if fixed to the spot as soon as they stopped.
The weather was such that one could not see many
hundred feet in front of one, and the snow which accumu-
lated on one's clothes, on the weather-side, wetted
one to the skin ; but still it was glorious to see ourselves
making progress, progress towards our stubborn goal.
We came across a number of lanes, and they were
difficult to cross, with their complicated network of cracks
and rido^es in all directions. Some of them were broad
and full of brash, which rendered it impossible to
use the kayaks. In some places, however, the brash
was pressed so tightly together that we could walk on it.
But many journeys to and fro are nearly always
necessary before any reasonable opportunity of advance
is to be found. This time is often long to the one who
remains behind with the dogs, being blown through or
wetted through meanwhile, as the case may be. Often,
when it seemed as if I w^as never coming back, did
Johansen think I had fallen through some lane and was
gone for good. As one sits there on the kayak
waiting and waiting and gazing in front of one into
solitude, many strange thoughts pass through one's
brain. Several times he climbed the highest hummock
near at hand to scan the ice anxiously ; and then, when
at last he discovered a little black speck moving about
on the white flat surface far, far away, his mind would
be relieved. As Johansen was waiting in this way
yesterday, he remarked that the sides of the floe in front
By Sledge and Kayak. 219
of him were slowly moving up and down,^ as they might
if rocked by a slight swell. Can open water be near ?
Can it be that the great breakers from the sea have
penetrated in here ? How willingly would we believe
it ! But, perhaps, it was only the wind which set
the thin ice we are travelling over now in wave-
like motion. Or have we really open water to
the south-east ? It is remarkable that this wind welds
the ice together, while the south-west wind here a
litde while ago slackened it. When all is said, is it
possible that we are not far from the sea ? 1 cannot help
thinking of the water-reflections we have seen on the sky
before us. Johansen has just left the tent, and says that
he can see the same reflection in the south ; it is higher
now, and the weather tolerably clear. What can it be ?
Only let us go on and get there.
'* We came across the track of a bear again yesterday.
How old it was could not easily be determined in this
snow, which obliterates everything in a few minutes, but
it was probably from yesterday, for 'Haren' directly after-
wards got scent of something and started off against the
wind, so that Johansen thought the bear must be some-
where near. Well, well, old or new, a bear was there
while we were a little farther north, stitching at the
■*^ It was probably pressure of the floes against each other which
caused this movement. We noticed the same motion several times
later.
2 20 Chapter VI.
kayaks, and one day it will come our way, too, no
doubt. The gull which Johansen shot brought up a
large piece of blubber when it fell, and this tends to
confirm us in the belief that bears are at hand, as the
bird hardly could have done so, had it not been in
company.
" The weather was wet and wretched, and, to make
things worse, there was a thick mist, and the going was
as heavy as it could be. To go on did not seem very
attractive ; but, on the other hand, a halt for dinner in this
slush was still less so. We therefore continued a little
while longer, and stopped at lo o'clock for good. What a
welcome change it was to be under the tent again ! And
the ' fiskegratin ' was delicious. It gives one such a
sense of satisfaction to feel that, in spite of everything,
one is making a little way. The temperature is
beginning to be bad now ; the snow is quite wet, and
some water has entered my kayak, which I suppose
melted on the deck and ran down through the open side
where the lacing is, which we have not yet sewn
fast. We are waiting for good weather in order to get
the covers thoroughly dry first, and then stretch them
well.
'' Monday, June loth. In spite of the most im-
penetrable mist and the most detestable going on soppy
snow, which has not yet been sufficiently exposed to frost
to become granular, and where the sledges rode their
very heaviest, we still managed to make good even
1
By Sledge and Kayak. 221
progress the whole day yesterday. There were in-
numerable lanes, of course, to deal with, and many
crossings on loose pieces of ice which we accomplished at
a pinch. But the ice is flat here everywhere, and every
little counts. It is the same thin winter ice of about
3 feet in thickness. I only saw a couple of old floes
yesterday — they were in the neighbourhood of our
camping-ground, which was also on an old floe — other-
wise the ice is new, and in places very new. We went
over some large expanses yesterday of ice one foot
or less in thickness. The last of these tracts in
particular was very remarkable, and must at one time
have been an immense pool ; the ice on it was so thin
that it cannot be long before it melts altogether. There
was water on all this ice, and it was like walking through
gruel. As a matter of fact, the ice about here is nothing
else but pure broken-up sea-ice, consisting of large and
small floes, not infrequently very small floes closely
aggregated ; but when they have the chance of slacken-
ing they will spread over the whole sea hereabouts, and
we shall have water enough to row in any direction
we please.
" The weather seems to-day to be of the same kind
as yesterday, with a south-west wind, which is tearing
and rattlino- at the tent-walls. A thaw and wet snow.
I do not know if we shall get any more frost, but it would
make the snow in splendid condition for our snowshoes.
I am afraid however, that the contrary will rather be the
222 Chapter VI.
case, and that we shall soon be in for the worst break-up
of the winter. The lanes otherwise are beginning to
improve : they are.no longer so full of brash and slush ; it
is melting away, and bridges and such-like have a better
chance of forming in the clearer water.
" We scan the horizon unremittingly for land, every
time there is a clear interval; but nothing, never any-
thing, to be seen. Meanwhile we constantly see signs
of the proximity of land or open water. The gulls
increase conspicuously in number, and yesterday we saw
a little auk [Mergulus alle) in a lane. The atmosphere
in the south and south-west is always apt to be dark, but
the weather has been such that we can really see
nothing. Yet I feel that the solution is approaching.
But then how long have I not thought so ^. There is
nothing for it but the noble virtue of patience.
'' What beautiful ice this would have been to travel
over in April, before all these lanes were formed — endless
flat plains ! For the lanes, as far as we know, are all
newly formed ones, with some ridges here and there,
which are also new. ^
"Tuesday, JtiJ^triith. A monotonous life this on
the whole, as monotonous as one can well imagine it —
to turn out day after day, week after week, month
after month, to the same toil over ice which is some-
times a little better, sometimes a little worse — it now
seems to be steadily getting worse — always hoping to
see an end to it, but always hoping in vain, ever the
By Sledge and Kayak. 223
same monotonous range of vision over ice, and again
ice. No sign of land in any direction and no open
water, and now we should be in the same latitude as
Cape Fligely, or at most a couple of minutes farther
north. We do not know where we are, and we do
not know when this will end. Meanwhile our provisions
are dwindling day by day, and the number of our dogs
is growing seriously less. Shall we reach land while
we yet have food, or shall we, when all is said, ever
reach it .^^ It will soon be impossible to make any way
against this ice and snow : the latter is only slush,
the dogs sink through at every step; and we our-
selves splash through it up above our knees when we
have to help the dogs or take a turn at the heavy
sledges, which happens frequently. It is hard to go on
hoping in such circumstances, but still we do so ; though
sometimes, perhaps, our hearts fail us when we see
the ice lying before us like an impenetrable maze of ridges,
lanes, brash, and huge blocks thrown together pell-mell,
and one might imagine one's self looking at suddenly
conorealed breakers. There are moments when it
seems impossible that any creature not possessed of
wings can get farther, and one longingly follows the
flight of a passing gull, and thinks how far away one
would soon be could one borrow its wings. But then,
in spite of everything, one finds a way, and hope springs
eternal. Let the sun peep out a moment from the bank
of clouds, and the ice-plains glitter in all their whiteness ;
224
Chapter VI.
let the sunbeams play on the water, and life seems
beautiful in spite of all, and worthy a struggle.
"It is wonderful how little it takes to give one fresh
courage. Yesterday I found dead in a lane a little
polar cod {Gadus polaris), and my eyes, I am sure,
A CURDLED SEA.
must have shone with pleasure when I saw it. It was
real treasure-trove. Where there is fish in the water
one can hardly starve, and before I crept into the tent
this morning I set a line in the lane beside us. But
what a number of these little fish it would require to
By Sledge and Kayak. 225
feed one, many more in one day than one could catch
in a week, or perhaps in a month ! Yet one is hopeful
and lies counting the chances of there being larger
fish in the water here, and of being able to fish to
one's heart's content.
'' Advance yesterday was more difficult than on the
previous days, the ice more uneven and massive, and
in some places with occasional old floes in between.
We were stopped by many bad lanes, too, so did not
make much way, I am afraid not more than 3 or 4 miles.
I think we may now reckon on being in latitude 82° 8'
or 9' N. if this continual south-east wind has not sent us
northwards again. The going is getting worse and
worse. The snow is water-soaked to the bottom, and
will not bear the dogs any longer, though it has
become a little more granular lately, and the sledges
run well on it when they do not cut through, which
happens continually, and then they are almost immovable.
It is heavy for the dogs, and would be so even if they
were not so wretchedly worn out as they are ; they stop
at the slightest thing, and have to be helped or driven
forward with the whip. Poor animals, they have a bad
time of it! 'Lillerseven,' the last of my original team, will
soon be unable to go farther — and such a good animal to
haul ! We have five dogs left ('Lilleraeven,' 'Storraeven,'
and 'Kaifas' to my sledge, 'Suggen' and 'Haren' to
Johansen's). We still have enough food for them for
three days, from ' Isbjon,' who was killed yesterday
VOL. II. Q
226 Chapter VI.
morning ; and before that time Johansen thinks the riddle
will be solved. Vain hope, I am afraid, although
the water-sky in the south-east or south-south-east
(magnetic) seems always to keep in the same position
and has risen much higher.
" We began our march at half-past six yesterday
afternoon, and stopped before a lane at a quarter-past
three this morning. I saw fresh-water pools on the
ice under some hummocks yesterday for the first time.
Where we stopped, however, there were none to be
found, so we had to melt water again this morning; but
it will not often be necessary hereafter, I hope, and we
can save our oil, which, by the way, is becoming alarm-
ingly reduced. Outside the weather and snow are the
same ; no pleasure in turning out to the toils of the day.
I lie here thinking of our June at home, how the
sun is shining over forest and fjord and wooded hills,
and there is But some time we shall get back to
life, and then it will be fairer than it has ever been
before.
"Wednesday, June 12th. This is getting worse and
worse. Yesterday we did nothing, hardly advanced more
than a mile. WVetched snow, uneven ice, lanes, and
villainous weather stopped us. There was certainly a
crust on the snow, on which the sledo^es ran well when
they were on it ; but when they broke through — and
they did it constantly— they stood immovable. This
crust, too, was bad for the dogs, poor things ! They sank
By Sledge and Kayak. 227
through it into the deep snow between the irregulari-
ties, and it was like swimming through slush for them.
But all the same we made way. Lanes stopped us, it is
true, but we cleared them somehow\ Over one of them,
the last, which looked nasty, we got by making a
bridge of small floes, which we guided to the narrowest
place. But then a shameless storm of wet snow, or
more correctly sleet, with immense flakes, set in, and the
wind increased. We could not see our way in this
labyrinth of lanes and hummocks, and were as soaked
as ducked crows, as we say. The going was impossible,
and the sledges as good as immovable in the wet snow,
which was soon deep enough to cling to our snowshoes
underneath in great lumps, and prevent them from running.
There was hardly any choice but to find a camping-
ground as soon as possible, for to force one's way
along in such weather, and on such snow, and make no
progress, was of little use. We found a good camping-
ground and pitched our tent after only four hours' march,
and went without our dinner to make up.
" Here we are, then, hardly knowing what to do next.
What the going is like outside I do not know yet, but
probably not much better than yesterday, and whether
we ought to push on the little we can, or go out and try
to capture a seal, I cannot decide. The worst of it is
that there do not seem to be many seals in the ice
where we now are. We have seen none the last few
days. Perhaps it is too thick and compact for them {? .
Q 2
2 28 Chapter VI.
The ice here is strikingly different in character from that
we have been travelling over of late. It is considerably
more uneven, for one thing, with mounds and somewhat
old ridges, among them some very large ones. Nor
does it look so very old — in general, I should say, of
last winter's formation, though there are occasional old
floes in between. They appear to have been near land,
as clay and earthy matter are frequently to be seen, par-
ticularly in the newly formed ridges.
'' Johansen, who has gone out, says the same water-sky
is to be seen in the south. Why is it we cannot reach it ?
But there it is all the same, an alluring goal for us to
make for, even if we do not reach it very soon. We see
it again and again, looking so blue and beautiful ; for us
it is the colour of hope."
" Friday, June 14th. It is three months to-day since
we left the Fra^n. A quarter of a year have we been
wandering in this desert of ice, and here we are still.
When we shall see the end of it I can no longer form
any idea ; I only hope whatever may be in store for us is
not very far off, open water or land — Wilczek Land, Zichy
Land, Spitzbergen, or some other country.
''Yesterday was not quite so bad a day as I expected.
We really did advance, though not very far — hardly more
than a couple of miles — but we must be content w^ith
that at this time of year. The dogs could not manage
to draw the sledges alone ; if there was nobody beside
them, they stopped at every other step. The only thing
By Sledge and Kayak. 229
to be done was to make a journey to and fro, and thus go
over the ground three times. While I went on ahead to
explore, Johansen drove the sledges as far as he could;
first mine, and then back again after his own. By that time
I had returned and drove my own sledge as far as I had
found a way; and then this performance was repeated
all over again. It was not rapid progress, but progress
it was of a kind, and that was something. The ice
we are going over is anything but even ; it is still
rather massive and old, with hummocks and irregu-
larities in every direction, and no real fiat tracts. When,
added to this, after going a short distance, we came
to a place where the ice w^as broken up into small
fioes, with high ridges and broad lanes filled with slush
and brash, so that the whole thing looked like a single
mass of ddbris, where there was hardly standing-room, to
say nothing of any prospect of advance, it was only human
to lose courage and give up, for the time being, trying
to get on. Wherever I turned the way was closed, and
it looked as if advance was denied us for good. To
launch the kayaks would be of no avail, for we could
hardly expect to propel them through this accumulation
of fragments, and I was on the point of making up
my mind to wait and try our luck with the net and line,
and see if we could not manage to find a seal somewhere
in these lanes.
''These are moments full of anxiety, when from some
hummock one looks doubtingly over the ice, one's
230 Chapter VI.
thoughts contniually reverting to the same question:
have we provisions enough to wait for the time when
the snow will have melted, and the ice have become
slacker, and more intersected with lanes, so that one can
row between the floes ? Or is there any probability of
our being able to obtain sufficient food, if that which we
have should fall short ? These are great and important
questions which I cannot yet answer for certain. That
it will take a long time before all this snow melts away,
and advance becomes fairly practicable, is certain ; at
what time the ice may become slacker, and progress
by means of the lanes possible, we cannot say ; and up to
this we have taken nothing, with the exception of two
ivory gulls and a small fish. We did, indeed, see
another fish swimming near the surface of the water, |
but it was no larger than the other. Where we are just
now, there seems to be little prospect of capturing
anything. I have not seen a single seal the last few
days ; though yesterday I saw the snowed-down track of
a bear. Meanwhile we see ivory gulls continually ;
but they are still too small to be worth a cartridge ;
yesterday, however, I saw a large gull, probably Larus
argent atus.
" I determined to make ohe more attempt to get on by
striking farther east, and this time I was successful in
finding a passage across by way of a number of small
floes. On the other side there was rather old compact
ice, partially of formation a summer old, which seemed
By Sledge and Kayak. 231
to have been near land, as it was irregular, and much
intermixed with earthy matter. We have travelled over
this ice-field ever since without coming on lanes ; but it
was uneven, and we came to grief several times. In
other places again it was pretty good.
'' We began our march at 8 o'clock on Wednesday
afternoon, and halted here at 5 o'clock this morning.^
Later on in the forenoon the wind went over to the
north-east, and the temperature fell. The snow froze
hard, and eventually the going became pretty good. The
crust on the snow bore the dogs up, and also the sledges
to a certain extent, and we looked forward to good going
on the following day ; but in this we were doomed to
disappointment. No sooner had we got inside the tent
than it began to snow, and kept briskly at it the whole
day whilst we slept, and yesterday evening, when we
turned out to get breakfast ready and start off, it was
still snowing, and deep, loose snow covered everything ;
a state of things bad beyond description. There
was no sense in going on, and we decided to wait
and see how matters would turn out. Meanwhile we
were hungry, but as we could not afford a full breakfast
I prepared a small portion of fish soup, and we
returned to the bag again : Johansen to sleep on, I to
* We found water on the ice here, suitable for cooking, for the first
time. It was, however, somewhat salt, so that the " fiskegratin " was
too well seasoned.
232 Chapter VI.
re-reckon all my observations from the time we
left the Fram, and see if some error might not
explain the mystery why no land was yet to be found.
The sun had partially appeared, and I tried, though in
vain, to take an observation. I stood waiting for more
than an hour with the theodolite up, but the sun went
in again and remained out of sight. I have calculated
and calculated and thought and thought, but can find
no mistake of any importance, and the whole thing is
a riddle to me. I am beginning seriously to doubt
that we may be too far west after all. I simply cannot
conceive that we are too far east ; for in such a case
we cannot, at any rate, be more than 5° farther east
than our observations^ make us. Supposing, for
instance, that our watches have gone too fast,
' Johannsen 't cannot, at all events, have gained more
than double its previous escapement. I have assumed
an escapement of five seconds ; but supposing that the
escapement has been ten seconds this does not make
more difference than 6' ^o" in eighty days (the time
from our departure from the Fram till the last
observation) that is 1° 40' farther east than we ought
to be. Assuming, too, that I have calculated
* As it proved later, we were, in reality, about 6° farther east than we
thought.
t I called my watch thus after Johannsen, the watchmaker in
London, who supplied it.
By Sledge and Kayak. 233
our days' marches at too great length, in the
days between April 8th and 13th, and that instead
of 36 English geographical miles or rather
more than 40 statute miles, we have only gone
24 English geographical miles, or 28 statute miles (less
we cannot possibly have gone), we should then have
been in 89° E. instead of in 86° E. on the 13th as we
supposed. That is 3° farther east, or with the figures
above, let us say together 5° farther east, i.e., we now
instead of being in longitude 61° E. should be in 66° E.,"^
or about 70 miles from Cape Fligely. But it seems to
me we ought to see land south of us just the same.
Wilczek Land cannot be so low and trend suddenly so
far to the south, when Cape Buda-Pest is said to lie in
about 61° E. and 82° N., and should thus be not so much
as 50 miles from us. N o, this is inconceivable. On the
other hand, it is not any easier to suppose ourselves west
of it ; we must have drifted very materially between
April 8th and 13th, or my watch must have stopped for
a time before April 2nd. The observations from
April 2nd, 4th, and 8th seem, indeed, to indicate
that we drifted considerably westwards. On the 2nd
we appeared to be in 103° 6' E., on the 4th in
99° 59' E., and April 8th in 95° 7' E. Between these
* In reality we were somewhat near the point I here assume (we
were in 67° E., approximately). The reason why we did not see the land
here mentioned was because it does not exist ; as was proved later.
234 Chapter VI.
dates there were no marches of importance ; between
the observations on the 2nd and the 4th there was only
a short half-day's march ; and between the 4th and
the 7th a couple, which amounted to nothing, and
could only have carried us a little westwards. This
is as much as to say that we must have drifted 8°, or
let us reckon at any rate 7° westwards in the six days
and nights. Assuming that the drift was the same
during the five days and nights between the 8th and
1 3th, we then get 7° farther west than we suppose. We
should consequently now be in 54° E., instead of
in 61° E., and not more than 36 to 40 miles from Cape
Fligely and close by Oscar's Land. We ought to see
something of them, I think. Let us assume meanwhile
that the drift westwards was strong in the period before
April 2nd also, and grant the possibility that my watch
did stop at that time (which I fear is not excluded), and
we may then be any distance west for all we can tell.
It is this possibility which I begin to think of more and
more. Meanwhile, apparently there is nothing for it but
to continue as we have done already — perhaps a little
more south — and a solution must come.
" When, after having concluded my calculations, I had
taken a nap and again turned out at midday to-day, the
condition of the snow proved to be no better ; in fact,
rather worse. The new snow was wet and sticky and
the going as heavy as it well could be. However, it
was necessary to make an attempt to get on, there was
By Sledge and Kayak. 235
nothing gained by waiting there, and progress is progress
be it ever so little.
" I took a single altitude about midday, but it was not
sharp."
*' Saturday, June 15th. The middle of June and still
no prospect of an end to this ; things only became worse
instead. So bad as yesterday, though, it has never
been, and worse, happily, it can hardly be. The sledges
ran terribly heavy in the loose, wet, newly-fallen snow,
which was deep to boot, and sometimes when they
stopped — and that was continually — they stuck as if
glued to the spot. It was all we could do to move them
when we pushed with all our might. Then to this was
added the fact that one's snowshoes ran equally badly,
and masses of snow collected underneath them the
minute one stopped ; one's feet kept twisting continually
from this cause, and ice formed under them, so that one
suddenly slid off the snowshoes and into the snow, till far
above one's knees, when one tried to pull or help the
sledges ; but there was nothing for it but to scramble
up and on to them again. To wade along in such snow
without them is an impossibility, and, as I have said
before, though fastening them on securely would have
been a better plan, yet it would have been too trouble-
some, seeing that we had to take them off continually to
get the sledges over ridges and lanes. In addition to all
this, wherever one turns, the ice is uneven and full of
mounds and old ridges, and it is only by wriggling along
236
Chapter VI.
like an eel, so to speak, that one can get on at all.
There are lanes, too, and they compel one to make
long detours or go long distances over thin, small floes,
ridges, and other abominations. We struggled along,
however, a little way, working on our old plan of two
turns, but a quick method It could not be called.
The dogs are becoming more and more worn-out.
* Lillera^ven,' the last survivor of my team, can now
hardly walk — hauling there Is no question of — he
staggers like a drunken man, and when he falls can
hardly rise to his feet again. To-day he is going to be
killed, I am thankful to say, and we shall be spared
seeing him. ' Storrseven,' too, is getting very slack in the
traces ; the only one of mine which pulls at all is ' Kaifas,'
and that is only as long as one of us is helping behind.
To keep on longer in such circumstances Is only wearing
out men and dogs to no purpose, and is also using up
more provender than Is necessary. We therefore
renounced dinner, and halted at about ten yesterday
evening, after having begun the march at half-past four
in the afternoon. I had, however, stopped to take an
observation on the way. It is not easy to get hold of the
sun nowadays, and one must make the most of him
when he is to be seen through the driving clouds ; clear
he will never be. Yesterday afternoon, after an uncon-
scionable wait, and after having put up the Instrument In
vain a couple of times, I finally got a wretched single
altitude.
By Sledge and Kayak. 237
*' Yesterday evening- I reckoned out these observations
and find that, contrary to our expectations, we have drifted
strongly westwards, having come from 61° 16' E., which
was our longitude on June 4th, right to about 57° 40' E.
But then we have also drifted a good way north again,
up to 82° 26' N., after being down in 82° 17*8' on the
same date, and we have been pushing southwards as
hard as we could the whole time. However, we are
plad to see that there is so much movement in the ice,
for then there is hope of our drifting out eventually
towards open water ; for that we can get there by our
own efforts alone over this shocking ice I am beginning
to doubt. This country and this going are too bad, and
my hope now is in lanes and slack ice. Happily, a
north-east wind has sprung up. Yesterday there was a
fresh breeze from the north-north-west (magnetic), and the
same again to-day. Only let it blow on ; if it has set
us north-west it can also set us south-west, and eventually
out towards our goal, towards Franz Josef Land or
Spitzbergen. I doubt more than ever our being east
of Cape Fligely after this observation, and I begin to
believe more and more in the possibility that the first
land we shall see — if we see any, and I hope we may —
will be Spitzbergen. In that case we should not
even get a glimse of Franz Josef Land, the land of
which I have dreamed golden dreams day and night.
But still if it is not to be, then well and good. Spitz-
bergen is good enough, and if we are as far west as
238 Chapter VI.
we seem to be, I have greater hope than before of
finding slacker ice and open water ; and then for Spitz-
bergen ! But there is still a serious question to be
faced, and that is to procure ourselves enough food for
the journey.
'' I have slept here some time on purpose, after having
spent a good while on my calculations and speculations
as to our drift and our future. We have nothing to
hurry for in this state of the snow ; it is hardly better to-
day than it was yesterday, and then, on account of the
mild temperature, it is better to travel by night than by
day. The best thing to do is to spin out the time as
long as possible without consuming more than abso-
lutely necessary of the provisions ; the summer cannot
but improve matters, and we have still three
months of it before us. The question is, can we pro-
cure ourselves food during that time .'^ It would be
strange, I think, if we could not. There are birds about
continually ; I saw another large gull yesterday, probably
the herring or silver gull {Lartis argentatus) — but to
support life for any length of time on such small fry
we have not cartridges enough. On seal or bear all
my hopes are fixed ; just one before our provisions give
out, and the evil hour is warded off for a long time
to come."
''Sunday, June i6th. Yesterday was as bad as it
well could be, the surface enough to make one desperate,
and the ice rough. I very much doubted whether the
By Sledge and Kayak. 239
wisest thing would not be to kill the dogs and keep them
as food for ourselves, and try to make our way on
as best we could without them. In that manner we
should have provender for fifteen or perhaps twenty days
longer, and should be able to make some progress at
the same time. There does not seem much to be done
in that line, however, and perhaps the right thing to
do is to wait. But, on the other hand, perhaps, it is
not far to land or open water, or, at any rate, to slack
ice, and then every mile we can make southwards is
of importance. I have, therefore, come to the conclusion
that we must use the dogs to get on with as best we
can — perhaps there will be a change before we expect
it ; if nothing else then, perhaps, some better ice, like
that we had before. Meanwhile we were obliged to
kill two dogs yesterday. * Lilleraeven ' could hardly go
when we started ; his legs seemed to be quite paralysed
and he fell down and could not get up again. After I
had dragged him and the sledge for a time and had tried
in vain to make him go, I had to put him on the load,
and when we came to some hummocks where there was
shelter from the north wind, Johansen killed him, while I
went forward to find a way. Meanwhile my other dog,
' Storraeven,' was in almost as bad a plight. Haul he
could not, and the difficulty was to make him go on so
that he was not dragged with the sledge. He went a
little way, stumbling and falling, and being helped up
repeatedly, but soon he was just as bad as ' Lilleraeven
240 Chapter VI.
had been, lagged behind, got the traces under the sledge
runners, and was dragged with it. As I thought I had
enough to do in hauling the sledge I let him go, in the
hope that he would, at any rate, follow us. He did so
for a little while, but then stopped behind, and Johansen
was compelled to fetch him and put him on his load, and
when we camped he was killed too.
*' ' Kaifas ' is the only dog I have left to help me haul my
sledge, and Johansen has ' Haren ' and ' Suggen.' We
have rations for them for ten days from the two slaughtered
dogs, but how far we shall be able to get with them the
gods alone know. Not very far, I am afraid. Meanwhile
our hitherto somewhat primitive method of hauling had to
be improved on. With two dog-harnesses we accordingly
made ourselves proper hauling-gear,^ and therewith all
idea of using snowshoes not securely fastened on had to be
abandoned. One's feet twisted and slipped and slid off
* A proper hauling harness is an important item, and in the long run
is much less trying than the ordinary hauling strap or rope crosswise
over the chest and one shoulder. The form of harness I use consists
of two straps, which are passed over both shoulders, like the straps of
a knapsack, and are fastened crosswise over the back to a leathern belt,
where the hauling-rope from the sledge is also attached. It is thus
in one's power during the work of hauling to distribute the strain
equally between both shoulders and the belt (i.e., the thighs and
abdomen). The hauling "centre of gravity " is in this manner lower in
the body, just above the legs, which do the work, and the hauling-rope
does not, as is usually the case, press only on the upper part of the
body.
By Sledge and Kayak. 241
the snowshoes and deep down into the bottomless snow,
which in addition turned to ice under our feet, and with
our smooth komager-soles was as slippery as eel-skin to
stand on. Then we fastened them on, and where the ice
was even, it really was possible to drag the sledge, even
with only one dog beside one. I saw that given passable
snow and passable country to work on, we could make
some progress during the day, though as soon as there
was the slightest irregularity in the ice the sledges stood
perfectly still. It was necessary to strain at the harness
all one knew, and then perhaps fail to make the sledge
budge an inch. Then back one had to go to it, and after
exerting one's strength to the utmost, it would finally
glide over the obstacle and on towards a new one, where
exactly the same process had to be gone through. If it
was wished to turn the sledge in the deep snow where it
stood embedded, matters were no better ; it was only by
lifting it bodily that one could get it on at all. So we
went on step by step until perhaps we came on a small
extent of level ice where we could increase the pace. If,
however, we came on lanes and ridges, things were worse
than ever, one man cannot manage a sledge alone, but
two must be put to each sledge. Then when we have
followed up the track I have marked out beforehand, I
have to start off again and find a way between the
hummocks. To go direct, hauling the- sledge, is not
advisable where the ice is uneven, as it only means
getting into difficulties and being constrained eventually
VOL. II. R
242 Chapter VI.
to turn back. In this way we are grinding along, but it
goes without saying that speed and long marches are not
the order of the day. But still as it is we make a little way,
and that is better than nothing ; it is, besides, the only
thing we can do, seeing that it is impossible to crawl into
a lair and hibernate for a month or so till progress is
possible again.
" To judge by the sky, there must be a number of lanes
in the south and south-west. Perhaps our trying mode of
advance is leading us to something better. We began
at about ten yesterday evening, and stopped at six this
morning. We have not had dinner the last few days in
order to save a meal, as we do not think this ice and our
progress generally is worth much food. With the same
object, we this morning collected the blood of ' Storraeven '
and converted it into a sort of porridge instead of the
' fiskegratin.' It was good, even if it was only dog's
blood, and at any rate we have a portion of fish-flour to
the good. Before we turned into the bag last night we
inspected our cartridges, and found to our joy that we had
148 shot-gun cartridges, 181 rifle cartridges, and in
addition 14 spherical shot cartridges. With so much
ammunition, we should be able to increase our provisions
for some time to come, if necessary, for if nothing else
should fall to our guns there would always be birds, and
148 birds will go a long way. If we use half-charges, we
can eke out our ammunition still further. We have,
moreover, half a pound of gunpowder and some spherical
By Sledge and Kayak. 243
shot for the rifles, also caps for reloading the cartridges.
This discovery has put me in good spirits, for, truth to
tell, I did not think our prospects were inordinately
bright. We shall now, perhaps, be able to manage
for three months, and within that time something must
happen. In addition to what we can shoot, we can
also catch gulls with a hook, and if the worst should
come to the worst, and we set seriously to work, we can
probably take some animalculae and the like with the net.
It may happen that we shall not get to Spitzbergen in
time to find a vessel, and must winter there, but it will
be a life of luxury compared with this in the drift-ice, not
knowing where we are nor whither drifting, and not
seeing our goal, in spite of all our toil. I should not
like to have this time over again. We have paid dearly
for letting our watches run down that time. If there
was no one waiting at home, a winter in Spitzbergen
would be quite enticing. I lie here and dream of how
comfortably and well we could manage there. Every-
thing outside of this ice seems rosy, and out of it we
shall be some time or other ! We must comfort ourselves
with the adao^e that nicrht is darkest before the dawn. Of
o o
course it somewhat depends on how dark the night is to
be, and considerably darker than it is now it might very
well be. But our hopes are fixed on the summer. Yes,
it must be better as summer gradually comes on."
So on we went forwards ; and day after day we were
going through exactly the same toil, in the same heavy
R 2
244 Chapter VI.
snow, in which the sledges stuck fast ceaselessly. Dogs
and men did their best, but with little effect, and in
addition we began to be uneasy as to our means of sub-
sistence. The dogs' rations were reduced to a minimum^
to enable us to keep life going as long as possible.
We were hungry and toil-worn from morning to night and
from night to morning, all five of us. We determined
to shoot whatever came in our way, even gulls and
fulmars ; but now, of course, none of this game ever
came within range.
The lanes grew worse and worse! filled generally
with slush and brash. We were often compelled to go
long distances over nothing but small pieces, where one
went through continually. On June i8th "a strong wind
from the west (magnetic), sprang up, which tears and
rattles at the tent. We are going back, I suppose, whence
we came, only farther north perhaps. So we are buffeted
by wind and current, and so it will go on, perhaps the whole
summer through, without our being able to master it.
A meridian altitude that day made us in 82° 19' N., so
we had come down again a little. I saw and shot a
couple of fulmars and a Briinnich's guillemot [Uria
briinnickii), and these eked out our rations, but,
to our distress, I fired at a couple of seals in the
lanes and missed my mark. How we wished we
could get hold of such a prize ! " Meanwhile there is a
good deal of life here now," I write on June 20th. " Little
auks fly backwards and forwards in numbers, and they
By Sledge and Kayak. 245
sit and chatter and show themselves just outside the
tent-door ; it is quite a pleasure to see them, but a
pity they are so small that they are not worth a shot.
We have not seen them in flocks yet, but in couples
as a rule. It is remarkable how bird-life has increased
since the west wind set in the day before yesterday.
It is particularly striking how the little auks have
suddenly appeared in myriads ; they whiz past the
tent here with their cheery twitter, and it gives one
the feeling of having come down to more hospitable
regions. This sudden finding of Brtinnich's guillemots
seems also curious, but it does no good. Land is
not to be descried, and the snow is in as wretched a
condition as it can be. A proper thaw, so that the snow
can disappear more quickly, does not come. Yesterday
morning before breakfast I went for a walk southwards
to see what were our chances of advance. The ice
was flat and good for a little way, but lanes soon began
which were worse than ever. Our only expedient now
is to resort to strong measures and launch the kayaks,
in spite of the fact that they leak ; we must then travel
as much as possible by way of the lanes, and with this
resolution I turn back. The snow is still the same,
very wet, so that one sank deep in between the
hummocks, and there are plenty of them. We could
not afford a proper breakfast, so we took if oz. bread
and if oz. pemmican per man, and then set to work to
mend the pumps and put the kayaks in order for
246 Chapter VI.
ferrying, so that their contents should not be spoiled by
water leaking in. Among other things, a hole had to be
patched in mine which I had not seen before.
''We had a frugal supper, 2 ozs. aleuronate bread and
I oz. butter per man, and crept into the bag to sleep as
long as possible and kill the time without eating. The
only thing to be done is to try and hold out till the
snow has melted, and advance is more practicable. At
one in the afternoon we turned out to a rather more
abundant breakfast of 'fiskegratin,' but we do not dare to
eat as much as we require any longer. We are looking
forward to trying our new tactics, and instead of
attempting to conquer nature, obeying her and taking
advantage of the lanes. We must get some way, at any
rate, by this means ; and the farther south the more
prospect of lanes and the greater chance of something
falling to our guns.
" Otherwise it is a dull existence enough, no
prospect for the moment of being able to get on, Im-
passable packed Ice in every direction, rapidly diminishing
provisions, and now, too, nothing to be caught or shot.
An attempt I made at fishing with the net failed entirely
— a pteropod {Clio borealis)^\\A a few Crustacea were the
whole result. I lie awake at night by the hour racking
my brain to find a way out of our difficulties. Well^
well, there will be one eventually !
'' Saturday, June 22nd. Half-past nine a.m., after a
good breakfast of seals-flesh, seal-liver, blubber, and soup.
By Sledge and Kayak. 247
" Here I lie dreaming dreams of brightness ; life is all
sunshine again. What a little incident is necessary to
change the whole aspect of affairs ! Yesterday and the
last few days were dull and gloomy; everything seemed
hopeless, the ice impassable, no game to be found ; and
then comes the incident of a seal rising near our
kayaks and rolling about round us. Johansen has
time to give it a ball just as it is disappearing, and it
floats while I harpoon it — the first and only bearded seal
{Phoca barbata) we have yet seen — and we have
abundance of food and fuel for upwards of a month. We
need hurry no longer ; we can settle down, adapt the
kayaks and sledges better for ferrying over the lanes,
capture seals if possible, and await a change in the state
of the ice. We have eaten our fill both at supper and
breakfast, after being ravenous for many days. The
future seems bright and certain now, no clouds of
darkness to be seen any longer.
''It was hardly with great expectations that we
started off on Thursday evening. A hard crust
which had formed on the top of the soft snow did not
improve matters ; the sledges often cut through this, and
were not to be moved before one lifted them forward
again, and when it was a case of turning amid the
uneven ice, they stuck fast in the crust. The ice was
uneven and bad, and the snow loose and water-soaked,
so that, even with snowshoes on, we sank deep into it
ourselves. There were lanes besides, and though
248 Chapter VI.
tolerably easy to cross, as they were often packed
together, they necessitated a winding route. We saw
clearly that to continue in this way was impossible.
The only resource was to disburden ourselves of every-
thing which could in any way be dispensed with, and
start afresh as quickly as we could, with only provisions,
kayaks, guns, and the most necessary clothing, in order,
at any rate, to reach land before our last crumb of food
was eaten up. We went over the things to see what we
could part with : the medicine-bag, the spare horizontal
bars belonging to the sledges, reserve snowshoes and
thick, rough socks, soiled shirts, and the tent. When it
came to the sleeping-bag we heaved a deep sigh, but, wet
and heavy as it always is now, that had to go, too. We
had, moreover, to contrive wooden grips under the kayaks,
so that we can without further trouble set the whole
thing afloat when we have to cross a lane, and be able
to drag the sledges up on the other side and go on
at once. If it should then, as now, be impossible for
us to launch the sledges, because sleeping-bag, clothes,
and sacks of provender, etc., are lying on them as
a soft dunnage for the kayaks, it will take too much
time. At every lane we should be obliged to unlash
the loads, lift the kayaks off the sledges and into the
water, lash them together there, then place the sledges
across them, and finally go through the same manoeuvres
in inverse order on the other side. We should not get
very far in the day in that manner.
By Sledge and Kayak. 249
'' Firmly determined to make these alterations, the
very next day we started off. We soon came to a
long pool, which it was necessary to ferry over. The
kayaks were soon launched and lying side by side
on the water well stiffened with the snowshoes under the
straps, "^ a thoroughly steady fleet. Then the sledges,
with their loads, were run out to them, one forward,
one astern. We had been concerned about the does
and how we should get them to go with us, but they
followed the sledges out on to the kayaks and lay
■down as if they had done nothing else all their lives.
* Kaifas ' seated himself in the bow of my kayak, and
the two others astern.
'' A seal had come up near us while we were occupied
with all this, but I thought to wait before shooting it
till the kayaks were ready, and thus be certain of
getting it before it sank. Of course it did not
show itself again. These seals seem to be
enchanted, and as if they were only sent to delay
us. Twice that day before I had seen them and
watched in vain for them to appear again. I had even
achieved missing one, the third time I have missed my
mark. It looks bad for the ammunition if I am going on
like this, but I have discovered that I aimed too high for
* Certain straps which are fixed on the " kayak," just in front of the
occupant, and through which the paddle is passed when shooting, etc.
The blade thus lying laterally on the water very much increases the
-Steadiness of the occupants.
250 Chapter VI.
these short ranges, and had shot over them. So then
we set off across the blue waves on our first long voyage.
A highly remarkable convoy we must have been,
laden as we were with sledges, sacks, guns, and dogs ;
a tribe of gipsies, Johansen said it was. If anyone had
suddenly come upon us then, he would hardly have known
what to make of the troupe, and certainly would not have
taken us for Polar explorers. Paddling between the
sledges and the snowshoes which projected far out on
either side, was not easy work, but we managed to get
along, and were soon of the opinion that we should think
ourselves lucky could we go on like this the whole day,
instead of hauling and wading through the snow. Our
kayaks could hardly have been called water-tight, and
we had recourse to the pumps several times, but we
could easily have reconciled ourselves to that, and only
wished we had more open water to travel over. At last
we reached the end of the pool ; I jumped ashore on the
edge of the ice, to pull up the kayaks, and suddenly
heard a great splash beside us. It was a seal which had
been lying there. Soon afterwards I heard a similar
splash on the other side, and then for the third time a
huge head appeared, blowing and swimming backwards
and forwards, but alas, only to dive deep under the edge
of the ice before we had time to Q-et the ouns out. It
was a fine, large blue or bearded seal {Phoca barbata).
'' We were quite sure that it had disappeared for good,
but no sooner had I got one of the sledges half-way up
M oa
z ^
z
By Sledge and Kayak. 251
the side than the immense head came up again close
beside the kayaks, blowing and repeating the same
manoeuvres as before. I looked round for my gun, but
could not reach it where it was lying on the kayak.
' Take the gun, Johansen, quick, and blaze away ; but
quick, look sharp, quick! ' In a moment he had thrown
the gun to his cheek, and just as the seal was on the
point of disappearing under the edge I heard the report.
The animal made a little turn, and then lay floating, the
blood flowing from its head. I dropped the sledge,
seized the harpoon, and quick as lightning threw it deep
into the fat back of the seal, which lay quivering on the
surface of the water. Then it began to move ; there was
still life in it ; and, anxious lest the harpoon with its thin
line should not hold if the huge animal began to quicken
in earnest, I pulled my knife out of its sheath and stuck
it into the seal's throat, whence a stream of blood came
flowing out. The water was red with it for a long*
distance, and it made me quite sorry to see the where-
withal for a good meal being wasted like this. But there
was nothing to be done ; not on any account would
I lose that animal, and for the sake of safety gave it
another harpoon. Meanwhile the sledge, which had
been half dragged up on to the ice, slid down again, and
the kayaks, with Johansen and the dogs came adrift.
He tried to pull the sledge up on to the kayak, but
without success, and so it remained with one end in the
water and one on the canoe. It heeled the whole fleet
252 Chapter VI.
over, and Johansen's kayak canted till one side was
in the water ; it leaked, moreover, like a sieve, and the
water rose in it with alarming rapidity. The cooker
which was on the deck fell off, and drifted gaily away
before the wind with all its valuable contents, borne high
up in the water by the aluminium cap, which happily
was water-tight. The snowshoes fell off and floated
about, and the fleet sank yet deeper and deeper. Mean-
while I stood holding our precious prize, not daring to
let go. The whole thing was a scene of the most com-
plete dissolution. Johansen's kayak had by this time
heeled over to such an extent that the water reached the
open seam on the deck, and the craft filled immediately,
I had no choice left but to let go the seal, and drag up
the kayak before it sank. This done, heavy as it was
and full of water, the seal's turn came next, and this was
much worse. We had our work cut out to haul the
immense animal hand over hand up on to the ice, but
our rejoicings were loud when we at last succeeded, and
we almost fell to dancing round it in the excess of our
delight. A water-logged kayak and soaked effects we
thought nothing of at such a supreme moment. Here
was food and fuel for a long time.
'' Then came the rescuing and drying of our things.
First and foremost, of course, the ammunition ; it was
all our stock. But happily the cartridges were fairly
watertight, and had not suffered much damage. Even
the shot cartridges, the cases of which were of paper,
By Sledge and Kayak. 253
had not lain long enough to become wholly permeated.
Such, however, was not the case with a supply of
powder, the small tin box in which we kept it was
entirely full of water. The other things were not so
important, though it was hardly a comforting discovery
to find that the bread was soaked throuorh with salt
water.
" We found a camping-ground not far off. The tent
was soon pitched, our catch cut up and placed in safety,
and, I may say, seldom has the drift-ice housed beings
so well satisfied as the two who sat that morning in the
bag and feasted on seal's flesh, blubber, and soup as
long as they could find any room to stow it. We con-
curred in the opinion that a better meal we could not
have had. Then down we crawled into the dear
bag, which for the present there was no need to part
with, and slept the sleep of the just in the knowledge
that for the immediate future, at any rate, we need have
no anxiety.
'* It is my opinion that for the time being we can do
nothing better than remain where we are ; live on our
catch without encroaching on the sledge provisions, and
thus await the time when the ice shall slacken more or
the condition of the snow improve. Meanwhile we will
rig up wooden grips on our sledges, and try to make
the kayaks water-tight. Furthermore we will lighten »
our equipment as much as we possibly can. If we were
to go on we should only be obliged to leave a great deal
254 Chapter VI.
of our meat and blubber behind us, and this, in these
circumstances, I think would be m'Sdness."
"Sunday, June 23rd. So this is St. John's Eve, and
Sunday too. How merry and happy all the school-boys
are to-day ; how the folk at home are starting forth in
crowds to the beautiful Norwegian woods and valleys
.... and here are we still in the drift-ice ; cooking and
frying with blubber, eating it and seal's-flesh until the
train-oil drips off us, and, above all, not knowing when
there will be an end to it all. Perhaps we still have a
winter before us. I could hardly have conceived that
we should be here now !
"It is a pleasing change, however, after having
reduced our rations and fuel to a minimum to be able to
launch out into excesses, and eat as much and as often
as we like. It is a state of things hardly to be realised
at present. The food is agreeable to the taste and we
like it better and better. My own opinion is that blubber
is excellent both raw and fried, and it can well take the
place of butter. The meat, in our eyes, is as good as
meat can be. We had it yesterday for breakfast in the
shape of meat and soup served with raw blubber. For
dinner I fried a highly-successful steak not to be surpassed
by the ' Grand ' [Hotel], though a good ' seidel ' of bock
beer would have been a welcome addition. For supper
I made blood-pancakes fried in blubber instead of butter,
and they were a success, inasmuch as Johansen pro-
nounced them ' first-class,' to say nothing of my own
By Sledge and Kayak. 255
sentiments. This frying, however, inside the tent over a
train-oil lamp is a doubtful pleasure. If the lamp itself
does not smoke the blubber does, causing the unfortunate
cook the most excruciating pain in the eyes ; he can
hardly keep them open and they water copiously. But the
consequences could be even worse. The train-oil lamp
which I had contrived out of a sheet of German silver
became over-heated one day, under the hot frying-pan,
and at last the whole thing caught fire, both the lumps of
blubber and the train-oil. The flame shot up into the air,
while I tried by every means in my power to put it out,
but it only grew worse. The best thing would have been
to convey the whole lamp outside, but there was no time
for it. The tent began to fill with suffocating smoke, and
as a last resort I unfortunately seized a handful of snow and
threw it on to the burning train-oil. It sputtered and
crackled, boiling oil flew in all directions, and from the lamp
itself rose a sea of flames which filled the whole tent and
burned everything they came near. Half suffocated, we
both threw ourselves against the closed door, bursting off
the buttons, and dashed headlong into the open air ;
glad, indeed, to have escaped with our lives. With
this explosion the lamp went out ; but when we came
to examine the tent we found an enormous hole burned
in the silk wall above the place where the frying-pan
had stood. One of our sledge-sails had to pay the
penalty for that hole. We crept back into the tent
again, congratulating ourselves, however, on having
256 Chapter VI.
g"ot off so easily, and, after a great deal of troubl(
rekindled a fire so that I could fry the last pancake.
We then eat it with sugar, in the best of spirits, and
pronounced it the most delicious fare we had ever
tasted. .We had good reason, too, to be in spirits, for
our observation for the day made us In 82° 4*3' N. lat. and
57^ 48' E. long. In spite of westerly and, in a measure^
south-westerly winds, we had come nearly 14' south in
three days and next to nothing east. A highly sur-
prising and satisfactory discovery. Outside, the north
wind was still blowing, and consequently we were
drifting south towards more clement regions.
*' Wednesday, June 26th. June 24th was naturally
celebrated with great festivities. In the first place, it was
that day two years since we started from home ; secondly,
it was a hundred days since we left the Fra77i (not
really, it was two days more), and thirdly, It was
Midsummer Day. It was, of course a holiday, and we
passed it In dreaming of good times to come, in studying
our charts, our future prospects, and In reading anything
readable that was to be found, i.e., the almanack and
navigation tables. Johansen took a walk along the
lanes, and also managed to miss a ringed seal or 'snad,'
as we call it in Norwegian, in a pool here east of us.
Then came supper — rather late in the night — consisting
of blood-pancakes with sugar, and unsurpassed in flavour.
The frying over the oil lamp took a long time, and in
order to have them hot we had to eat each one as it was
4r
.^
By Sledge and Kayak. 257
fried, a mode of procedure which promoted a healthy
appetite between each pancake. Thereafter we stewed
some of our red whortleberries, and they tasted no less
good, although they had been soaked in salt water in
Johansen's kayak during the catastrophe of a couple of
days ago ; and after a glorious meal we turned into the
bag at 8 o'clock yesterday morning.
*' At midday, again, I got up and went out to take a
meridian altitude. The weather was brilliant, and it was
so long since we had had anything of the kind that I
could hardly remember it. I sat up on the hummock
waiting for the sun to come to the meridian ; basking in
its rays, and looking out over the stretches of ice where
the snow glittered and sparkled on all sides ; and at the
pool in front of me lying shining and still as a mountain
lake, and reflecting its icy banks in the clear water. Not
a breath of wind stirred — so still, so still ; and the sun
baked, and I dreamed myself at home
" Before going into the tent, I went to fetch some salt-
water for the soup we were to have for breakfast ; but
just at that moment a seal came up by the side of the ice,
and I ran back for my gun and kayak. Out on the
water I discovered that it was leaking like a sieve from
lying in the sun, and I had to paddle back faster than I
came out, to avoid sinking. As I was emptying the
kayak, up came the seal again in front of me, and this
time my shot took effect ; the animal lay floating on
the water like a cork. It was not many minutes
VOL. II. s
25B Chapter VI.
before I had the leaking craft on the water again, and
my harpoon in the animal's neck. I towed it in while
the kayak gradually filled, and my legs, or, rather,
that part which follows closely above the legs when
one is sitting in a canoe, became soaked with water, and
my ' komager ' gradually filled. After having dragged
the seal up to the tent, ' flensed ' it, collected all the
blood which was to be had, and cut it up, I crept into
the tent, put on some dry underclothes, and into the bag
again, while the wet ones were drying outside in the sun.
It is easy enough to keep oneself warm in the tent
now. The heat was so great inside it last night that we
could hardly sleep, although we lay on the bag instead of
in it. When I came back with the seal, I discovered that
Johansen's bare foot was sticking out of the tent at a place
where the peg had given way ; he was sleeping soundly,
and had no idea of it. After having a small piece of
chocolate to commemorate the happy capture, and, looking
over my observations, we again settled down to rest.
"It appears, remarkably enough, from our latitude
that we are still on the same spot without any further
drift southwards, in spite of the northerly winds. Can
the ice be landlocked ? It is not impossible ; far off land,
at any rate, we cannot be."
'' Thursday, June 27th. The same monotonous life^
the same wind, the same misty weather, and the same
cogitations as to what the future will bring. There was a
gale from the north last night with a fall of hard
By Sledge and Kayak. 259
^^ranular snow, which lashed against the tent walls so
that one might think it to be good honest rain. It
melted on the walls directly, and the water ran down
them. It is cosy in here, however, and the wind does
not reach us ; we can lie in our warm bag, and listen to
the flapping of the tent, and imagine that we are drifting
rapidly westwards, although perhaps we are not moving
from the spot. But if this wind does not move us, the
only explanation is that the ice is land-locked, and that we
cannot be far off shore. We must wait for an east wind, I
suppose, to drive us farther west, and then afterwards south.
My hope is that we shall drift into the channel between
Franz Josef Land and Spitzbergen while we are lying
here. The weather was raw and windy with snowfall, so
that it was hardly suitable for out-door work, particularly
as, unfortunately, there was no need to hurry.
" The lanes have changed very much of late ; there is
hardly anything left of the pool in front of us over which
we paddled, and there has been pressure around us in all
directions. I hope the ice will be well ground into
pieces, as this enables it to slacken more quickly when the
time comes ; but that will not be before far on in July,
and we ought to have the patience to wait for it perhaps.
" Yesterday we cut some of the seal's flesh into thin
slices and hung them up to dry. We must increase our
travelling store and prepare pemmican or dried meat ; it
will be the easiest way of carrying it with us. Johansen
yesterday found a pond of fresh water close by, which is
s 2
26o Chapter VI.
very convenient, and we need no longer melt ice ; it is
the first good water we have found for cooking purposes.
If the seals are few and far between, there are birds still,
I am thankful to say. Last night a couple of ivory gulls,
larus ebiirneus, were bold enough to settle down on our
seal-skin, close beside the tent wall, and pecked at the
blubber. They were sent off once or twice but returned.
If the meat fall short we must resort to catching birds."
Thus the days passed by, one exactly like the other ;
we waited and waited for the snow to melt and
worked desultorily meanwhile at getting ourselves ready
to proceed. This life reminded me of some Eskimos who
journeyed up a fjord to collect grass for hay ; but when
they arrived at their destination found it quite short, and
so settled down and waited till it was long enough to cut.
A suitable condition of the snow was long in coming ; on
June 29th I write: — ''Will not the temperature rise
sufficiently to make something like an effectual clearance
of the snow. We try to pass the time as best we
can in talkino^ of how delio^htful it wall be w^hen w^e
get home, and how we shall enjoy life and all its
charms, and go through a calculation of chances as to
how soon that may be ; but sometimes, too, w^e talk of
how well we will arrange for the winter in Spitzbergen,
if we should not reach home this year. If it should
come to that, we may not even get so far, but have to
winter on some place ashore here — no, it can never come
to that ! ''
By Sledge and Kayak. 261
" Sunday, June 30th. So this is the end of June, and
we are about the same place as when we began the
month. And the state of the snow ? Well, better it
certainly is not ; but the day is fine. It is so warm
that we are quite hot lying here inside the tent.
Through the open door we can see out over the ice
w^here the sun is glittering through white sailing cirrus
clouds on the dazzling whiteness. And then there is
a Sunday calm, with a faint breeze mostly from the south-
east, I think. Ah me, it is lovely at home to-day, I am
sure, with everything in bloom and the fjord quivering
in the sunlight ; and you are sitting out on the point
with Liv, perhaps, or are on the w^ater in your boat. And
then my eye wanders out through the door again, and I
am reminded there is many an ice-floe between now and
then, before the time when I shall see it all once more.
" Here we lie far up in the north ; two grim, black,
soot-stained barbarians, stirring a mess of soup in a
kettle and surrounded on all sides by ice ; by ice and
nothing else — shining and white, possessed of all the
purity we ourselves lack. Alas, it is all too pure !
One's eye searched to the very horizon for a dark
spot to rest on, but in vain. When will it really come
to pass ? Now we have waited for it two months.
All the birds seem to have disappeared to-day ; not
even a cheery little auk to be seen. They were here until
yesterday and we have heard them flying north and south,
probably to and from land, where they have gone, I
262 Chapter VI.
suppose, now that there is so little water about in these
parts. If only we could move as easily as they."
'' Wednesday, July 3rd. Why write again ? What
have I to commit to these pages ? Nothing but the
same overpowering longing to be home and away from
this monotony, One day just like the other, with the
exception, perhaps, that before it was warm and quiet,
while the last two days there has been a south wind
blowing, and we are drifting northwards. Found from a
meridian altitude yesterday that we have drifted back to
82° 8*4' N., while the longitude is about the same.
Both yesterday and the day before we had to a certain
extent really brilliant sunshine, and this for us is a great
rarity. The horizon in the south was fairly clear yester-
day, which it has not been for a long time ; but we
searched it in vain for land. I do not understand it. . . .
"We had a fall of snow last night, and it dripped in
here so that the bao- became wet. This constant
snowfall, which will not turn to rain, is enough to
make one despair. It generally takes the form of a
thick layer of new snow on the top of the old, and this
delays the thaw.
'' This wind seems to have formed some lanes in the
ice again, and there is a little more bird-life. We saw
some little auks again yesterday ; they came from the
south, probably from land."
''Saturday, July 6th. + 33-S° Fahr. (+1° C).
Rain. At last, after a fortnight, we seem to have got
By Sledge and Kayak. 26
o
the weather we have been waiting for. It has rained
the whole night and forenoon, and is still at it, real
good rain ; so now, perhaps, this everlasting snow will
take itself off; it is as soft and loose as scum. If only
this rain would go on for seven days ! But before we have
time to look round there will be a cold wind with snow,
a crust will form and again we must wait. I am too
used to disappointment to believe in anything. This is
a school of patience ; but nevertheless the rain has put
us in good spirits.
'' The days drag wearily on. We work in an inter-
mittent way at the kayak-grips of wood for our sledges,
and at caulking and painting our kayaks to make them
water-tight. The painting, however, causes me a good
deal of trouble. I burned bones here for many days till
the whole place smelled like the bone-dust works at
Lysaker ; then came the toilsome process of pounding
and grating them to make them perfectly fine and even.
The bone-dust was thereupon mixed w^ith train oil, and
at last I got as far as a trial, but the paint proved
uncompromisingly to be perfectly useless. So now I
must mix it with soot, -as I had first intended and add
more oil. I am now occupied in smoking the place out
in my attempts to make soot, but all my exertions, when
it comes to collecting it, only result in a little pinch,
although the smoke towered in the air, and they might
have seen it in Spitzbergen. There is a great deal to do
battle with when one has not a shop next door. What
264
Chapter VI.
would I not give for a little bucket of oil-paint, only
common lamp black ! Well, well, we shall find a way
out of the difficulty eventually ; but meanwhile we are
growing like sweeps.
MY LAST DOG, '' KAIFAS.
" On Wednesday evening ' Haren' was killed ; poor
beast, he was not good for much latterly, but he had
been a first-rate dog, and it was hard, I fancy, for
Johansen to part with him ; he looked sorrowfully at the
By Sledge and Kayak. 265
animal before It went to the happy hunting-grounds, or
wherever it may be draught-dogs go to ; perhaps to
places where there are plains of level ice and no ridges
and lanes. There are only two dogs left now — ' Suggen '
and ' Kaifas ' — and we must keep them alive as long as
we can, and have use for them.
" The day before yesterday, in the evening, we
suddenly discovered a black hillock to the east. We
examined it through the glass and it looked absolutely
like a black rock emero:in«" from the snows. It also
somewhat exceeded the neighbouring hummocks in
height. I scrutinised it carefully from the highest ridge
hereabouts, but could not make it out. I thought it too
big to be only a piled-up hummock mixed with black
ice or earthy matter, and I have never seen anything of
the kind before. That it is an island seems highly
improbable ; for although we are certainly drifting, it
remains in the same position in relation to us. We saw it
yesterday, and see it still to-day in the same quarter. I think
the most reasonable supposition is that it is an ice-berg.
'' No sooner does the horizon clear in the south than
one of us may be seen taking his customary walk to the
' watch-tower ' (a hummock beside the tent) to scan for
land, sometimes with a glass, sometimes without it ; but
there is nothinof to be seen but the same bare horizon.^
'' Every day I take a turn round the ice in our neigh-
* Compare, however, what I say on this subject later, i.e., July 24th.
266 Chapter VI.
bourhood to see if the snow has decreased, but it always
seems to be about the same, and sometimes I have
moments of doubt as to whether it will clear away at all
this summer. If not, our prospects will be more than
dark. The best we can hope for will then be a winter
somewhere or other on Franz Josef Land. But now
the rain has come. It is pouring down the tent walls
and dripping on the ice. Everything looks hopeful
again, and we are picturing the delights of the autumn
and w^inter at home ! "
" Wednesday, July loth. It is a curious thing that
now, when I really have something of a little more
interest than usual to relate, I have less inclination to write
than ever. Everything seems to become more and more
indifferent. One longs only for one single thing, and still
the ice is lying out there covered with impassable snow.
'' But what was it I had to say ? Oh, yes, that we
made ourselves such a good bed yesterday with bear-
skins under the bag, that we slept the clock round
without knowing it, and I thought it was six in the
morning when I turned out. When I came out of the
tent I thought there was something remarkable about
the position of the sun, and pondered over it for a little
while, until I came to the conclusion that it was six in the
evening, and that we had slumbered for twenty-two hours.
We have not slept much of late, as we have been broken on
the wheel, so to speak, by the snowshoes we had to place
under the bag, in order to keep it clear of the pools of
By Sledge and Kayak. 26
water under us. The apologies for hair still existing here
and there on the skin at the bottom of the bag do not afford
much protection against the sharp edges of the snowshoes.
" This beneficent rain continued the whole day on
Saturday, doing away with a fair amount of snow, and we
rejoice to hear it. To celebrate the good weather we
determined to have chocolate for supper ; otherwise we
live entirely on our catch. We had the chocolate
accordingly, and served with raw blubber it tasted quite
excellent. It was the cause of a great disappointment,
however, for after having looked forward immoderately
to this, now so rare, treat, I managed clumsily to
upset my whole cup, so that all the precious contents
ran out over the ice. While I was lying waiting
for a second cup — it was boiling over the train-oil lamp —
' Kaifas ' began to bark outside. Not doubting but that he
had seen an animal, I jumped up to hurry off to the look-
out hummock to scan the ice. Not a little surprised was
I when I poked my head out of the tent-door to see
a bear come jogging up to the dogs and begin sniffing at
' Kaifas.' I sprang to the gun, which stood ready in
the snow beside the tent, and pulled off the case, the
bear meanwhile standincr astonished and o^larino- at me.
I sent it a ball through the shoulder and chest, certain
that it would drop on the spot. It half staggered over,
and then turned round and made off, and before I could
extract a new^ cartridge from my pocket, which was full of
everything else, was away among the hummocks. I could
268 Chapter VI.
not get a shot at it where it was, and set off in pursuit.
I had not gone many steps before we saw (Johansen
had followed me) two more heads appearing a little way
farther on. They belonged to two cubs, which were
standing on their hind-legs and looking at their mother,
who came reeling towards them, with a trail of blood
behind her. Then off they went, all three, over a lane,
and a wild chase began over plains and ridges and lanes
and every kind of obstacle, but it made no difference
to their pace. A wonderful thing this love of sport ; it is
like setting fire to a fuze. Where at other times it would be
laborious work to get on at all, where one sinks to the
knees in the snow, and where one would hesitate before
choosing a way over the lane, let only the spark be
kindled, and one clears every obstacle without thinking
about it. The bear was severely wounded, and dragged
her left fore-leg ; she did not go fast, but always so fast
that I had my work cut out to keep near her. The
cubs ran round her in their solicitude, and generally a
little way in front, as if to get her to come with them ;
they little knew what was the matter with her. Suddenly
they all three looked back at me as I was crashing after
them as fast as I could. I had been within range many
times, but the bear had her hind-quarters towards me,
and when I fired I meant to be sure of making an end of
her, as I only had three cartridges with me, one for each
of them. At last, on the top of a huge hummock, I got
a sight of her broadside on, and there, too, she dropped.
By Sledge and Kayak. 269
The cubs hurried anxiously up to her when she fell — it
made one sorry to see them — they sniffed at and pushed
her, and ran round and round, at a loss what to do in
their despair. Meanwhile I had put another cartridge
in the rifle, and picked off the other cub as it was standino-
on a projection. It fell over the declivity with a
growl, and down on to its mother. Still more frightened
than before, the other cub hastened to its succour ;
but, poor thing, what could it do ? While its brother
rolled over, growling, It stood there looking sorrowfully
sometimes at It, sometimes at the mother, who lay dying
in a pool of blood. When I approached it turned its
head away Indifferently; what did it care about me
now ? All its kindred, everything It held dear, lay
there mutilated and destroyed. It no longer knew
whither to go, and did not move from the spot. I went
right up to It, and, with a spherical ball through the
breast, it fell dead beside its mother.
''Johansen soon came up. A lane had detained him, so
that he had lost ground. We opened the animals, took
out the entrails, and then went back to the tent to fetch
the sledges and dogs and proper flaying-knives. Our
second cup of chocolate in the tent tasted very good after
this Interruption. When we had skinned and cut up the
two bears we left them in a heap, covered over with the
skins to protect the meat from the gulls ; the third one we
took back with us. The next day we fetched the others,
and now have more meat food than we shall be able to
270 Chapter VI.
consume, I hope. It is a good thing, though, that we
can give the clogs as much raw meat as they will eat ;
they certainly require it. ' Suggen,' poor thing, is in a
very bad way, and it is a question whether we can get
any more work out of him. When we took him with us
after the bears the first day, he could not walk, and we had
to place him on the sledge ; but then he howled so terri-
fically, as much as to say it was beneath his dignity to be
transported in this w^ay, that Johansen had to take him
home again. The dogs seem to be attacked with a
paralysis of the legs : they fall down, and have the
greatest difficulty in rising. It has been the same with
all of them, from 'Gulen ' downwards. ' Kaifas,' however,
is as fresh and well as ever.
*' It is remarkable how large these cubs were. I
could hardly imagine that they were born this year, and
should without hesitation have put them down as a year
old if the she-bear had not been In milk, and It Is hardly
to be supposed that the cubs would suck for a year and a
half. Those we shot by the Fram on November 4th
last year were hardly half the size of these. It would
seem as If the polar bear produces Its young at different
times of the year. In the paunches of the cubs were
pieces of skin from a seal."
''Monday, July 15th. As we were working at the
kayaks yesterday, a Ross's gull [Radostetkia rosed) came
flying by. It was a full-grown bird, and made a turn
when just over us, showing Its pretty rose-coloured
By Sledge and Kayak. 271
breast, and then disappeared again in the mist south-
wards. On Thursday I saw another adult Ross's gull,
with a black ring round its neck ; it came from the north-
east, and flew in a south-westerly direction. Otherwise
it is remarkable how all the birds have disappeared from
here. The little auk is no longer to be seen or heard ;
the only birds are an ivory gull now and then and
occasionally a fulmar."
*' Wednesday, July 17th. At last the time is drawing
near when we can be off again and start homewards in
earnest. The snow has decreased sufficiently to make
advance fairly easy. We are doing our utmost to get
ready. The grips on the sledges are nicely arranged
and provided with cushions of bear-skin on Johansen's
and of cloth on mine. This is in order to give the
kayaks a firm and soft bed and prevent chafing. The
kayaks are painted with soot and train-oil, and have
been caulked with pastels (for drawing), crushed and also
mixed with train-oil ; that is to say, as far as these various
Ingredients would go. We are now using a mixture of
stearine, pitch, and resin,'" to finish up with. A thorough
revision of our equipment will take place, and everything
not absolutely invaluable will be left behind. We must
say good-bye here to the sleeping-bag and tent.t Our
* This was taken in case it might be wanted for soldering the
cooking apparatus or the German silver plates under the sledge-
runners.
t We eventually decided to retain this, however.
272 Chapter VI.
days of comfort are past, and henceforth until we are
on board the sloop"^ we will live under the open sky.
'' Meanwhile we have lain here — ' Longing Camp,' as
we call it — and let the time slip by. We have eaten
bear-meat morning, noon, and night, and, so far from
being tired of it, have made the discovery that the breast
of the cubs is quite a delicacy. It is remarkable that
this exclusive meat and fat diet has not caused us the
slightest discomfort in any way, and we have no craving
for farinaceous food, although we might, perhaps, regard
a large cake as the acme of happiness. Every now and
then we cheer ourselves up with lime-juice grog, a blood-
pancake, or some stewed whortleberries, and let our
imaginations run riot over all the amenities of civilisation
which we mean to enjoy to the full when we get home !
Perhaps it will be many a long day before we get there,
perhaps there will be many a hard trial to overcome.
But no ; I will believe the best. There are still two months
of summer left, and in them something can be done."
''Friday, July 19th. Two full-grown Ross's gulls
flew over here from the north-east and went west this
morning. When far off they uttered cries which
reminded me of that of the wryneck, and which I at
first thought came from a little auk. They flew quite
low, just over my head, and the rose-colour of their
under-parts could be seen plainly. Another Ross's gull
^ The vessel we expected to catch in Spitzbergen.
By Sledge and Kayak.
/ S
flew by here yesterday. It is strange that there should
be so many of them. Where are we ?"
" Tuesday, July 23rd. Yesterday forenoon we at last
got clear of ' Longing Camp,' and now, I am thankful
to say, we are again on the move. We have worked
dav and nio^ht to oet off. First we thouoht it would be
JOHANSEN S LAST DOG, " SUGGEN.
on the 19th, then the 20th, and then the 21st, but some-
thing always cropped up that had to be done before we
could leave. The bread, which had been soaked in sea-
w^ater, had to be carefully dried in the frying-pan over
the lamp, and this took several days ;„ then the socks had
to be patched, and the kayaks carefully looked over,
etc. We were determined to start on our last journey
VOL n. T
274 Chapter VI.
home In good repair, and so we did. Everything goes
like wild-fire. The chances of progress are better than
we expected, although the ice is anything but even : the
sledges are lighter to draw now that everything that can
be dispensed with is left behind, and the snow, too, has
decreased considerably. On the last part of the journey
yesterday we could even go without snowshoes, and, as
a matter of course, progress among the ridges and
irregularities, where they are difficult to manage, is
quicker without them. Johansen performed a feat by
crossing a lane alone in his kayak, with ' Suggen ' lying
on the fore-deck, while he himself knelt on the after-deck
and balanced the craft as he paddled. I began to try
the same with mine, but found it too cranky to risk the
attempt and preferred to tow it over, with ' Kaifas ' on
the deck, while I went carefully alongside and jumped
over on some pieces of ice.
''We have now the advantage of finding drinking-
water everywhere. We are also eating our old
provender again ; but, curiously enough, neither Johansen
nor I think the farinaceous food as good as one might
suppose after a month of meat diet. It Is good to be
under way again, and not the least pleasant part
about it is our lighter sledges ; but then we certainly
left a good deal behind at ' Longing Camp.' In
addition to a respectable mound of meat and blubber,
we left three fine bear-skins. Our friend the bag, too.
Is lying on the top of the bears, a quantity of wood
By Sledge and Kayak. 275
consisting of the boards from under the sledges, the
snowshoes and other things, more than half of Blessing's
fine medicaments — plaster of Paris bandages, soft
steam - sterilised gauze bandages, hygroscopic cotton
wadding — to say nothing of a good aluminium glass
horizon, rope, our combined frying-pan and melter, half an
aluminium cap belonging to the cooker, sheets of German
silver, a train-oil lamp of the same, bags, tools, sail-cloth,
Finn shoes, our wolf-skin iingerless gloves, also woollen
ones, a oreolocrical hammer, half a shirt, socks, and other
sundries, all strewn about In chaotic confusion. Instead
of all these we have an aucrmentation in the form of a
sack of dried seal's and bear's flesh and the other half
of the aluminium cap full of blubber. We are now
thoroughly divested of all superfluous articles, and there
is hardly so much as a bit of wood to be had If one
should want a stick to slip through the end of the
hauling rope."
T 2
CHAPTER VII.
Land at Last.
*' Wednp:sday, July 24th. At last the marvel has
come to pass — land, land, and after we had almost
given up our belief in it ! After nearly two years,
we again see something rising above that never-ending
white line on the horizon yonder — a white line which
for countless ages has stretched over this lonely sea,
and which for millenniums to come shall stretch in the
same way. We are leaving it, and leaving no trace
behind us ; for the track of our little caravan across the
endless plains has long ago disappeared. A new life is
beginning for us ; for the ice it is ever the same.
"It has long haunted our dreams, this land,
and now it comes like a vision, like fairy-land.
Drift-white, it arches above the horizon like distant
clouds, which one is afraid will disappear every minute.
The most wonderful thing is that we have seen this land
all the time without knowing it. I examined it several
times with the telescope from ' Longing Camp ' in the
belief that it might be snowfields, but always came to
Land at Last. 277
the conclusion that it was only clouds, as I could never
discover any dark point. Then, too, it seemed to
change form, which, I suppose, must be attributed to
the mist which always lay over it ; but it always came
back again at the same place with its remarkable regular
curves. I now remember that dark crag we saw east
of us at the camp, and which I took to be an iceberg.
It must certainly have been a little islet''' of some kind.
''The ice was worse and more broken than ever yes-
terday ; it was, indeed, a labour to force one's way over
pressure-ridges like veritable mountains, with valleys
and clefts in between ; but on we went in good spirits, and
made some progress. At lanes where a crossing was
difficult to find, we did not hesitate to launch kayaks
and sledges, and were soon over in this manner. Some-
times after a very bad bit we would come across some
flat ice for a short distance, and over this we would go
like wildfire, splashing through ponds and puddles.
While I was on ahead at one time yesterday morning,
Johansen went up on to a hummock to look at the ice, and
remarked a curious black stripe over the horizon ; but he
supposed it to be only a cloud, he said, and I thought no
more about the matter. When, some while later, I also
ascended a hummock to look at the ice, I became
aware of the same black stripe ; it ran obliquely from
the horizon up into what I supposed to be a white bank
Tliis supposition is extremely doubtful.
278 Chapter VII.
of clouds. The longer I looked at this bank and stripe
the more unusual I thought them, until I was constrained
to fetch the glass. No sooner had I fixed it on the black
part than it struck me at once that this must be land, and
that not far off. There was a large snow-field out of
which black rocks projected. It was not long before
Johansen had the glass to his eye, and convinced himself
that we really had land before us. We both of us
naturally became highly elated. I then saw a similar
white arching outline, a little farther east ; but it
was for the most part covered with white mist
from which it could hardly be distinguished, and
moreover was continually changing form. It soon,
however, came out entirely, and was considerably larger
and higher than the former, but there was not a black
speck to be seen on it. So this was what land looked
like now that we had come to it ! I had imagined it in
many forms, with high peaks and glittering glaciers, but
never like this. There was nothing kindly about this,
but it was indeed no less welcome, and on the whole we
could not expect it to be otherwise than snow-covered,
with all the snow which falls here.
'' So then we pitched the tent and had a feast suited to
the occasion ; lobscouse made of potatoes (for the last
time but one, we had saved them long for this occasion),
pemmican, dried bear's- and seal's-flesh and bear tongues
chopped up together. After this was a second course
consisting of bread crumbs fried in bear's grease, also
Land at Last.
279
vril-food and butter, and a piece of chocolate to wind
up."
We thought this land so near that it could not
possibly take long to reach it, certainly not longer than
till next evening. Johansen was even certain that we
should do it the same day, but nevertheless thirteen
days were to elapse, occupied in the same monotonous
drudgery over the drift-ice.
On July 25th I write: — ''When we stopped in the
fog yesterday evening we had a feeling that we must
have come well under land. This morning when we
turned out, the first thing Johansen did when he went to
fetch some water for me to cook with was, of course, to
climb up on the nearest hummock and look at the land.
There it lay, considerably nearer than before, and he is
quite certain that we shall reach it before night." I also
discovered a new land to our west (S. 60° W. magnetic)
that day ; a regular, shield-like, arched outline, similar to
the other land ; and it w^as low above the horizon, and
appeared to be a long way off."^
We went on our way as fast as we could across lanes
and rough ice, but did not get far in the day, and the
land did not seem to be much nearer. In reality there
was no difference to be seen, although we tried to
imagine that it was steadily growing higher. On
Saturday, July 27th, I seem to have a suspicion that
* It proved later that this must be Crown Prince Rudolf Land.
28o Chapter VII.
in point of fact we were drifting away from land, I
write: — ''The wind beo;an to blow from the S.S.W.
(magnetic), just as we were getting off yesterday, and
increased as the day went on. It was easy to perceive
by the atmosphere that the wind was driving the ice off
the land and land-lanes formed particularly on the
east side of it. When I was up on a hummock, yester-
day evening, I observed a black stripe on the horizon
under land ; I examined it with the glass, and as I had
surmised there was an ice-edge or glacier stretching far
in a westerly direction ; and there was plainly a broad
lane in front of it, to judge by the dark bank of mist
which lay there. It seems to me that land cannot
be far off, and if the ice is tolerably passable we may
reach it to-day. The wind continued last night, but
it has quieted down now, and there is sunshine outside.
We try by every means in our power to get a com-
fortable night's rest in our new bag of blankets. We
have tried lying on the bare ice, on the snowshoes, and
to-night on the bare ice again ; but it must be confessed
that it is hard and never will be very comfortable ; a
little chilly, too, when one is wet — but we shall appreciate
a good warm bed all the more when we get it."
*' Tuesday, July 30th. W^e make incredibly slow
progress ; but we are pushing our way nearer land all the
same.'^ Every kind of hindrance seems to beset us: now
■* In reality we were probably farther from it than before.
Land at Last.
281
I am suffering so much from my back (lumbago ?) that
yesterday it was only by exerting all my strength of will
that I could drag myself along. In difficult places
Johansen had to help me with my sledge. It began
yesterday, and at the end of our march he had to go
first and find the way. Yesterday I was much worse, and
how I am to-day I do not know before I begin to walk .
PfW^^^TF
1" (• - }V "'yi'i iVif^"
t:^ - r ^' yl^^'
4?
c-5-
" INCRKJJIBLV SLOW PROGRESS.
but I ought to be thankful that I can drag myself along
at all, though it is with endless pain. We had to halt and
camp on account of rain yesterday morning at three,
after only having gone nine hours. The rain succeeded
in making us wet before we had found a suitable place
for the tent. Here we have been a whole day while it
282 Chapter VII.
has been pouring down, and we have hardly become drier.
There are puddles under us and the bag is soaked on the
underside. The wind has gone round to the west just
now, and it has stopped raining, so we made some por-
ridge for breakfast and think of going on again ; but if it
should begin to rain again we must stop, as it will not do
to get wet through when we have no change of clothes.
It is anything but pleasant as it is to lie with wet legs
and feet that are like icicles, and not have a dry thread to
put on. Full-grown Ross's gulls were seen singly four
times to-day, and when Johansen was out to fetch water
this morning he saw two."'"
"Wednesday, July 31st. The ice is as disintegrated and
impracticable as can well be conceived. The continual
friction and packing of the floes against each other grinds
up the ice so that the water is full of brash and small
pieces ; to ferry over this in the kayaks is impossible,
and the search is long before we eventually find a
hazardous crossing. Sometimes we have to form one by
pushing small floes together, or must ferry the sledges
over on a little floe. We spend much time and labour on
each single lane, and progress becomes slow in this way.
My back still painful, Johansen had to go ahead yesterday
also ; and evening and morning he is obliged to take off
my boots and socks, for I am unable to do it myself
^ We saw more and more of these remarkable birds the farther we
went.
Land at Last. 283
He is touchingly unselfish, and takes care of me as if I
were a child ; everything he thinks can ease me he does
quietly, without my knowing* it. Poor fellow, he has to
work doubly hard now, and does not know how this will
end. I feel very much better to-day, however, and it is
to be hoped shall soon be all right."
"Thursday, August ist. Ice with more obstacles
than here — is it to be found, I wonder ? But we are
working slowly on, and that being the case we ought,
perhaps, to be satisfied. We have also had a change — a
brilliantly fine day ; but it seems to me the south wind
we have had, and which opened the lanes, has put us a
good way farther off land again. We have also drifted
a long distance to the east, and no longer see the most
westerly land with the black rocks, which we remarked
at first. It would seem as if the Ross's gulls keep to
land here ; we see them daily.
" One thing, however, I am rejoicing over ; my back
is almost w^ell, so that I shall not delay our progress any
more. I have some idea now what it would be like if
one of us became seriously ill. Our fate would then be
sealed, I think."
" Friday, August 2nd. It seems as if everything con-
spired to delay us, and that we shall never get away
from this drift-ice. My back is well again now ; the ice
was more passable yesterday than before, so that we
nearly made a good day's march ; but in return wind and
current set us from shore, and we are farther away again.
284 Chapter VII.
Against these two enemies all fighting is in vain, I am
afraid. We have drifted far off to the south-east,
have got the north point of the land about due west of
us, and we are now in about 81° 36' N. My only
hope now is that this drift eastwards, away from land,
may stop or alter its course, and thus bring us nearer
land. It is unfortunate that the lanes are covered
with young ice, which it would be disastrous to put
the kayaks through. If this gets worse, things will
look very bad. Meanwhile we have nothing to do but
go on as fast as we can. If we are going to drift back
into the ice again, then — then "
'' Saturday, August 3rd. Inconceivable toil. We
never could go on with it were it not for the fact that we
must. We have made wretchedly little progress even
if we have made any at all. We have had no food
for the dogs the last few days except the ivory
gulls and fulmars we have been able to shoot, and that
has been a couple a day. Yesterday the dogs only
had a little bit of blubber each."
'' Sunday, August 4th. These lanes are desperate
work and tax one's strength. We often have to go
several hundred yards on mere brash or from block to
block, dragging the sledges after us, and in constant
fear of their capsizing into the water. Johansen was
very nearly in yesterday, but, as always hitherto, he
managed to save himself The dogs fall in and get a
bath continually."
,^^^
^M^.%
-%i-
" THIS INCESSANT TOIL.
Land at Last. 285
" Monday, August 5th. We have never had worse
ice than yesterday, but we managed to force our way
on a little, nevertheless, and two happy incidents marked
the day : the first was that Johansen was not eaten up by
a bear ; and the second, that we saw open w^ater under
the elacier edQ^e ashore.
'' We set off about 7 o'clock yesterday morning and
got on to ice as bad as it could be. It was as if some
giant had hurled down enormous blocks pell-mell, and had
strewn wet snow in between them with water underneath ;
and into this we sank above our knees. There were also
numbers of deep pools in between the blocks. It was
like toiling over hill and dale, up and down over block
after block, and ridge after ridge, with deep clefts in
between; not a clear space big enough to pitch a tent on
even, and thus it went on the whole time. To put a
coping-stone to our misery, there was such a mist that w^e
could not see a hundred yards in front of us. After an
exhausting march we at last reached a lane where we
had to ferry over in the kayaks. After having cleared
the side of the lane from young ice and brash, I drew my
sledge to the edge of the ice, and was holding it to
prevent it slipping in, when I heard a scuffle behind me,
and Johansen, who had just turned round to pull his
sledge flush with mine,"^ cried : ' Take the gun ! ' I
* As a rule, we crossed the lanes in this manner : we placed the
sledges, with the kayaks on, side by side, lashed them together,
286
Chapter VII
turned round and saw an enormous bear throwing Itself
on him, and Johansen on his back. I tried to seize my
gun, which was in its case on the fore-deck, but at the
same moment the kayak slipped into the water. My
first thought was to throw myself into the water over the
kayak and fire from there, but I recognised how risky it
YOU MUST LOOK SHARP.
would be. I began to pull the kayak, with its heavy
cargo, on to the high edge of the ice again as quickly as I
stiffened them by running the snowshoes across under the straps^ which
also steadied them, and then launched them as they were, with the
sledges lashed underneath. When across we had only to haul them up
on the other side.
Land at Leist. 287
could, and was on my knees pulling- and tugging to
get at my gun. I had no time to look round and see
what was going on behind me, when I heard Johansen
quietly say : ' You must look sharp if you want to be in
time.'
" Look sharp? I should think so ! At last I got hold
of the butt-end, dragged the gun out, turned round in a
sitting posture, and cocked the shot- barrel. The bear
was standing not two yards off, ready to make an end of
my dog, ' Kaifas.' There was no time to lose in
cocking the other barrel, so I gave it a charge of shot
behind the ear, and it fell down dead between us.
'' The bear must have followed our track like a cat,
and, covered by the ice-blocks, have slunk up while
we were clearing the ice from the lane and had our
backs to him. We could see by the trail how it had
crept over a small ridge just behind us under cover
of a mound by Johansen's kayak. While the latter,
without suspecting anything or looking round, went back
and stooped down to pick up the hauling-rope, he
suddenly caught sight of an animal crouched up at the
end of the kayak, but thought it was ' Suggen ' ; and
before he had time to realise that it was so big he
received a cuff on the ear which made him see fireworks,
and then, as I mentioned before, over he went on his
back. He tried to defend himself as best he could with
his fists. With one hand he seized the throat of the
animal, and held fast, clenching it with all his might. It
288 Chapter VII.
was just as the bear was about to bite Johansen in the
head that he uttered the memorable words, ' Look
sharp ' ! The bear kept glancing at me continually,
speculating, no doubt, as to what I was going to do ;
but then caught sight of the dog and turned towards it.
Johansen let go as quick as thought, and wriggled
himself away, while the bear gave ' Suggen ' a cuff which
made him howl lustily, just as he does when we thrash
him. Then ' Kaifas ' got a slap on the nose. Meanwhile
Johansen had struggled to his legs, and when I fired had
got his gun, which was sticking out of the kayak hole.
The only harm done was that the bear had scraped some
grime off Johansen's right cheek, so that he has a white
stripe on it, and had given him a slight wound in one
hand ; ' Kaifas ' had also got a scratch on his nose.
" Hardly had the bear fallen before we saw two more
peeping over a hummock a little way off — cubs
who, naturally, wanted to see the result of the maternal
chase. They were two large cubs. I thought it was not
worth while to sacrifice a cartridge on them, but Johansen
expressed his opinion that young bear's flesh was much
more delicate in flavour than old. He would only shoot
one, he said, and started off. However, the cubs took
to their heels, although they came back a little while later,
and we could hear them at a long distance growling after
their mother.
'' Johansen sent one of them a ball, but the range was
too long, and he only wounded it. With some terrific
Land at Last. 289
growls, it started off again, and Johansen after it ; but he
gave up the chase soon, as he saw it promised to be a
long one. While we were cutting up the she-bear the
cubs came back on the other side of the lane, and the
whole time we were there we had them walking round
us. When we had fed the dogs well, and had eaten
some of the raw meat ourselves, and had furthermore
stowed away in the kayaks the meat we had cut off
the legs, we at last ferried over the lane and went on our
way.
" The ice was not good ; and, to make bad worse, we
immediately came on some terrible lanes, full of nothing
but tightly packed lumps of ice. In some places there
were whole seas of it, and it was enough to make one
despair. Among all this loose ice we came on an
unusually thick old floe, with high mounds on it and
pools in between. It was from one of these mounds
that I observed through the glass the open water at the
foot of the glacier, and now we cannot have far to go.
But the ice looks very bad on ahead, and each piece
when it is like this may take a long time to travel over.
"As we went along we heard the wounded bear
lowing ceaselessly behind us ; it filled the w^hole of this
silent world of ice with its bitter plaint over the cruelty
of man. It was miserable to hear it ; and if we had had
time, we should undoubtedly have gone back and
sacrificed a cartridge on it. We saw the cubs go off to
the place where the mother was lying, and thought to
VOL. II. u
290 Chapter VII.
ourselves that we had ofot rid of them, but heard them
soon afterwards, and even when we had camped they
were not far off."
" Wednesday, August 7th. At last we are under land ;
at last the drift-ice lies behind us, and before us is open
water, open, it is to be hoped, to the end. Yesterday
was the day. When we came out of the tent the
evening of the day before yesterday we both thought we
must be nearer the edge of the glacier than ever, and
with fresh courage, and in the faint hope of reaching
land that day, we started on our journey. Yet we dared
not think our life on the drift-ice was so nearly at an
end. After wandering about on it for five months and
suffering so many disappointments, we were only too
well prepared for a new defeat. We thought, however,
that the ice looked more promising farther on, though
before we had gone far we came to broad lanes full of
slush and foul, uneven ice, with hills and dales, and deep
snow and water, into which we sank up to our thighs.
After a couple of lanes of this kind, matters improved a
little, and we got on to some flat ice. After having gone
over this for a while, it became apparent how much
nearer we were to the edsfe of the orlacier. It could not
possibly be far off now. We eagerly harnessed our-
selves to the sledges again, put on a spurt, and away we
went through snow and water, over mounds and ridges.
We went as hard as we could, and what did w^e care if
we sank into water till far above our fur leggings, so
Land at Last. 291
that both they and our ' komager ' filled and gurgled like
a pump ? What did it matter to us now so long as we
oot on ?
'* We soon reached plains, and over them we went
quicker and quicker. We waded through ponds where
the spray flew up on all sides. Nearer and nearer we
came, and by the dark water-sky before us, which con-
tinually rose higher, we could see how we were drawing
near to open water. We did not even notice bears now.
There seemed to be plenty about, tracks, both old and
new, crossing and recrossing ; one had even inspected
the tent while we were asleep, and by the fresh trail we
could see how it had come down wind in lee of us. We
had no use for a bear now : we had food enough. We
were soon able to see the open water under the wall of
the glacier, and our steps lengthened even more. As I
was striding along, I thought of the march of the Ten
Thousand through Asia, when Xenophon's soldiers, after
a year's war against superior forces, at last saw the sea
from a mountain and cried, ' Thalatta ! thalatta ! ' Maybe
this sea was just as welcome to us after our months in
the endless white drift-ice.
'' At last, at last, I stood by the edge of the ice.
Before me lay the dark surface of the sea, with floating
white floes ; far away the glacier wall rose abruptly from
the water ; over the whole lay a sombre, foggy light.
Joy welled up in our hearts at this sight, and we could not
give it expression in words. Behind us lay all our
u 2
292 Chapter VII.
troubles, before us the waterway home. I waved my
hat to Johansen, who was a little way behind, and he
waved his in answer and shouted, * Hurrah ! ' Such an
event had to be celebrated in some way, and we did it
by having a piece of chocolate each.
"While we were standing there looking at the water
the large head of a seal came up, and then disappeared
silently; but soon more appeared. It is very reassuring
to know that we can procure food at any minute we like.
" Now came the rigging of the kayaks for the
voyage. Of course, the better way would have been
to paddle singly, but, with the long, big sledges on the
deck, this was not easy, and leave them behind I dared
not ; we might have good use for them yet. For the
time being, therefore, there was nothing else to be done
but to lash the two kayaks together side by side in our
usual manner, stiffen them out with snowshoes under
the straps, and place the sledges athwart them, one before
and one behind.
"It was sad to think we could not take our two last
dogs with us, but we should probably have no further
use for them, and it would not have done to take them
with us on the decks of our kayaks. We were sorry
to part with them ; we had become very fond of these
two survivors. Faithful and enduring, they had followed
us the whole journey through ; and, now that better times
had come, they must say farewell to life. Destroy them
in the same way as the others, we could not ; we
o
<
w
OS
Land at Last. 293
sacrificed a cartridge on each of them. I shot
Johansen's, and he shot mine.
"So then we were ready to set off. It was a real
pleasure to let the kayaks dance over the water and
hear the little waves plashing against the sides. For
two years we had not seen such a surface of water
before us. We had not gone far before we found
that the wind was so good that we ought to make use of
it, and so we rigged up a sail on our fleet. We glided
easily before the wind in towards the land we had
so longed for all these many months. What a change
after having forced one's way inch by inch and foot
by foot on ice ! The mist had hidden the land from
us for a while, but now it parted, and we saw the glacier
rising straight in front of us. At the same moment the
sun burst forth, and a more beautiful morning I can
hardly remember. We were soon underneath the
glacier, and had to low^er our sail and paddle westwards
along the wall of ice, which was from 50 to 60 feet in
height, and on which a landing was impossible. It seemed
as if there must be little movement in this glacier ; the
water had eaten its way deep underneath it at the foot,
and there was no noise of falling fragments or the
cracking of crevasses to be heard, as there generally is
with large glaciers. It was also quite even on the top,
and no crevasses were to be seen. Up the entire
height of the wall there was stratification, which
was unusually marked. We soon discovered that a tidal
294 Chapter VII.
current was running westwards along the wall of the
glacier with great rapidity, and took advantage of it
to make good progress. To find a camping-ground,
however, was not easy, and at last we were reduced
to taking up our abode on a drifting floe. It was
glorious, though, to go to rest in the certainty that
we should not wake to drudgery in the drift-ice.
'' When we turned out to-day we found that the ice
had packed around us, and I do not know yet how we
shall get out of it, though there is open water not far
off to our west."
'' Thursday, August 8th. After hauling our im-
pedimenta over some floes we got into open water
yesterday without much difficulty. When we had
reached the edge of the water, we made a paddle each
from our snowshoe-staffs, to which we bound blades made
of broken-off snowshoes. They were a great improvement
on the somewhat clumsy paddles, with canvas blades
lashed to bamboo sticks. I was very much inclined to
chop off our sledges, so that they would only be half
as long as before ; by so doing we could carry them
on the after-deck of the kayaks, and could thus each
paddle alone, and our advance would be much quicker
than by paddling the twin kayaks. However, I thought,
perhaps, it was unadvisable. The w^ater looked promis-
ing enough on ahead, but there was mist, and we could
not see far ; we knew nothing of the country or the coast
we had come to, and might yet have good use for the
Land at Last. 295
sledges. We therefore set off in our double kayak, as
before, with the sledges athwart the deck fore and aft.
'* The mist soon rose a little ; it was then a dead
calm ; the surface of the water lay like a great mirror
before us, with bits of ice and an occasional floe
drifting on it. It was a marvellously beautiful sight,
and it was indeed glorious to sit there in our light
vessels and glide over the surface without any exertion.
Suddenly a seal rose in front of us, and over us flew
continually ivory gulls and fulmars and kittiwakes.
Little auks we also saw, and some Ross's gulls, and a
couple of terns. There was no want of animal-life here,
nor of food when we should require it.
'' We found open water, broader and broader, as we
paddled on our way beside the wall of ice ; but it would
not clear so that we could see something of our sur-
roundings. The mist still hung obstinately over it.
"Our course, at first, lay west to north (magnetic); but
the land always trended more and more to the west and
south-west ; the expanse of water grew greater and soon
it widened out to a large sea, stretching in a south-
westerly direction. A breeze sprang up from the north-
north-east, and there was considerable motion which was
not pleasant, as in our double craft the seas continually
washed up between the two and wetted us. We put in
towards evening and pitched the tent on the shore-ice,
and just as we did so it began to rain, so that it was
high time to be under a roof."
296 Chapter VII.
** Friday, August 9th. Yesterday mornincr we had
again to drag the sledges with the kayaks over
some ice which had drifted in front of our camping-
ground, and during this operation I managed to fall into
the water and get wet. It was with difficulty we finally
got through and out into open water. After a while
we again found our way closed, and were obliged
to take to hauling over some floes, but after this
we had good open water the whole day. It was a north-
easterly wind which had set the ice towards the land, and
it was lucky we had got so far, as behind us, to judge by
the atmosphere, the sea was much blocked. The mist
hung over the land so that we saw little of it. According
as we advanced we were able to hold a more southerly
course, and the wind being nearly on the quarter we set
sail about I o'clock, and continued sailing all day till we
stopped yesterday evening. Our sail, however, was
interrupted once when it was necessary to paddle round
an ice point north of where we are now ; the contrary
current was so strong that it was as much as we could do
to make way against it, and it was only after considerable
exertion that we succeeded in doubling the point. We
have seen little of the land we are skirting up to this
on account of the mist ; but as far as I can make out it
consists of islands. First there was a large island
covered with an ice-sheet ; then west of it a smaller one,
on which are the two crags of rock which first made us
aware of the vicinity of land ; next cam.e a long fjord or
Land at Last. 297
sound with massive shore-ice in it; and then a small, low-
headland, or rather an island, south of which we are now
encamped. This shore-ice lying along the land is very
remarkable. It is unusually massive and uneven; it
seems to be composed of huge blocks welded together,
which in a great measure, at any rate, must proceed from
the ice-sheet. There has also, perhaps, been violent
pressure against the land, which has heaved the sea-ice
up together with pieces of ice from the calving of the
glacier, and the whole has frozen together into a con-
glomerate mass. A medium-sized iceberg lay off the
headland north of us, where the current was so strong.
Where we are now lying, however, there is flat fjord-ice
between the low island here and a larger one farther
south.
"This land grows more of a problem, and I am more
than ever at a loss to know where we are. It is very
remarkable to me that the coast continually trends to the
south instead of to the west. I could explain it all best
by supposing ourselves to be on the west coast of the
archipelago of Franz Josef Land, were it not that the
variation, I think, is too great, and also for the number
of Ross's gulls there still are. Not one has with
certainty been seen in Spitzbergen, and if my supposi-
tion is right this should not be far off. Yesterday we
saw a number of them again ; they are quite as common
here as the other species of gull."
" Saturday, August loth. We went up on to the
298 Chapter VII.
little islet we had camped by. It was covered by a
glacier, which curved over it in the shape of a shield ;
there were slopes to all sides ; but so slight was the
gradient that our snowshoes would not even run of them-
selves on the crust of snow. From the ridge we had
a fair view, and, as the mist lifted just then, we saw
the land about us tolerably well. We now perceived
plainly that what we had been skirting along was only
islands. The first one was the biggest. The other land,
with the two rocky crags, had, as we could see, a strip of
bare land along the shore on the north-west side. Was
it there, perhaps, the Ross's gulls congregated, and
had their breeding-grounds ? The island to our south
also looked large ; it appeared to be entirely covered by
a glacier. "^ Between the islands, and as far as we could
perceive south-east and east, the sea was covered by
perfectly flat fjord-ice, but no land was to be discerned in
that direction. There were no icebergs here, though
we saw some later in the day on the south side of
the island lying to the south of us.
" The glacier covering the little island on which we
stood joined the fjord-ice almost imperceptibly, only a few
small fissures along the shore indicated where it probably
* The first island I called " Eva's Island," the second " Liv's
Island," and the little one we were then on "Adelaide's Island." The
fourth island south of us had, perhaps, already been seen by Payer, and
named by him "Freeden Island." The whole group of islands I named
" Hvidtenland " (White Land).
Land at Last. 299
began. There could not be any great rise and fall
in the ice here, consequent on the tide, as the fissures
would then, as a matter of course, have been considerably
larger. This seemed remarkable, as the tidal current
ran swift as a river here. On the west side of the
island there lay in front of the glacier a rampart of
ice and snow, which was probably formed of pieces of
glacier-ice and sea-ice welded together. It had the same
character as the massive shore-ice which we had seen
previously running along the land. This rampart went
over imperceptibly with an even slope into the glacier
within it.
" About three in the afternoon we finally set off in
open water and sailed till eight or so in the evening ;
the water was then closed, and we were compelled to
haul the fleet over flat ice to open water on the other
side. But here, too, our progress seemed blocked, and
as the current was against us we pitched the tent."
On August loth we were '' compelled partly to haul
our sledges over the ice, partly to row in open water in a
south-westerly direction. When we reached navigable
waters again, we passed a flock of walruses lying on a
floe. It was a pleasure to see so much food collected at
one spot, but we did not take any notice of them as, for
the time being, we had meat and blubber enough. After
dinner we managed, in the mist, to wander down a long bay
into the shore-ice where there was no outlet; we had to
turn back, and this delayed us considerably. We now
300 Chapter VII.
kept a more westerly course, following the often massive
and uneven edge of the ice ; but the current was dead
against us, and in addition young ice had been forming
all day as we rowed along ; the weather had been cold
and still, with falling snow, and this began to be so thick
that we could not make way against it any longer. We
therefore went ashore on the ice, and hauled until ten in
the eveninof.
'* Bear-tracks, old and new, in all directions, both the
single ones of old bachelors and those of she-bears
with cubs. It looks as if they had had a general
rendezvous, or as if a flock of them had roamed back-
wards and forwards. I have never seen so many bear-
tracks in one place in my life.
"We have certainly done 14 or 15 miles to-day; but
still I think our progress is too slow if we are to reach
Spitzbergen this year, and I am always wondering if we
ought not to cut the ends off our sledges so that each
can paddle his own kayak. This young ice, however,
which grows steadily worse and the eleven degrees below
freezing we now have make me hold my hand. Perhaps
winter is upon us, and then the sledges may be very
necessary.
" It is a curious sensation to paddle in the mist as we
are doing without being able to see a mile in front of us.
The land we found we have left behind us. We are
always in hopes of clear weather in order to see where
the land lies in front of us— for land there must be.
Land at Last. 301
This flat unbroken ice must be attached to land of some
kind ; but clear weather we are not to have, it appears.
Mist without ceasing; we must push on as it is."
After having hauled some distance farther over the
ice, we came to open water again the following day
(August I ith) and paddled for four or live hours. While
I was on a hummock inspecting the waters ahead, a
huge monster of a walrus came up quite near us. It lay
puffing and glaring at us on the surface of the water, but
we took no notice of it, got into our kayaks and went
on. Suddenly it came up again by the side of us, raised
itself high out of the water, snorted so that the air
shook, and threatened to thrust its tusks into our frail
craft. We seized our guns, but at the same moment it
disappeared, and came up immediately afterwards on the
other side, by Johansen's kayak, where it repeated the
same manoeuvre. I said to him that if the animal showed
signs of attacking us we must spend a cartridge on it.
It came up several times and disappeared again ; we
could see it down in the water passing rapidly on its side
under our vessels, and afraid lest it should make a hole
in the bottom with its tusks, we thrust our paddles down
into the water and frightened it away ; but suddenly it
came up again right by Johansen's kayak, and more
savage than ever. He sent it a charge straight in the
eyes, it uttered a terrific bellow, rolled over and dis-
appeared, leaving a trail of blood on the water behind it.
We paddled on as hard as we could, knowing that the
302 Chapter VII.
shot might have dangerous consequences, but we were
relieved when we heard the walrus come up far behind
us at the place where it had disappeared.
We had paddled quietly on, and had long forgotten
all about the walrus, when I suddenly saw Johansen jump
into the air and felt his kayak receive a violent shock.
I had no idea what it was, and looked round to see if
some block of floating ice had capsized and struck
the bottom of his kayak ; but suddenly I saw another
walrus rise up in the water beside us. I seized my gun,
and as the animal would not turn its head so that I could
aim at a spot behind the ear where it is more easily
wounded, I was constrained to put a ball in the
middle of its forehead ; there was no time to be lost.
Happily this w^as enough and it lay there dead and
floating on the water. With great difficulty we managed
to make a hole in the thick skin, and after cutting our-
selves some strips of blubber and meat from the back
we went on our way again.
At 7 in the evening the tidal current turned and the
channel closed. There w^as no more water to be found.
Instead of taking to hauling over the ice, we determined
to wait for the opening of the channel when the tide
should turn next day, and meanw^hile to cut off the
ends of our sledges, as I had so long been thinking of
doing, and make ourselves some good double paddles so
that we could put on greater pace, and, in our single
kayaks, make the most of the channel during the time
Land at Last. 303
it was open. While we were occupied in doing this the
mist cleared off at last, and there lay land stretched out
in front of us, extending a long way south and west
from S.E. right up to N.N.W. It appeared to be a
chain of islands with sounds between them. They
were chiefly covered with glaciers, only here and there
were perpendicular black mountain-walls to be seen.
It was a sight to make one rejoice to see so much land
at one time. But where were we ? This seemed a more
difficult question to answer than ever. Could we, after
all, have arrived at the east side of Franz Josef Land .^
It seemed very reasonable to suppose this to be the case.
But then we must be very far east, and must expect
a long voyage before we could reach Cape Fligely,
on Crown-Prince Rudolf Land. Meanwhile we
worked hard to get the sledges ready, but as the mist
gradually lifted, and it became clearer and clearer, we
could not help continually leaving them, to climb up on
to the hummock beside us to look at the country, and
speculate on this insoluble problem. We did not get to
bed till seven in the morning of August 12th.
*' Tuesday, August 13th. After having slept a few
hours, we turned out of the bag again, for the current
had turned, and there was a wide channel. In our single
kayaks we made good headway, but after going about
five miles the channel closed, and we had to clamber on
to the ice. We thought it advisable to wait until the
tidal current turned, and see if there were not a channel
304 Chapter VII.
running farther. If not we must lash proper grips of
wood to our curtailed sledges, and commence hauling
towards a sound running through the land, which I see
about W.N.W. (true), and which, according to Payer's
Chart, I take to be Rawlinson's Sound."
But the crack did not open, and when it came to
the point we had to continue on our way hauling.
*' Wednesday, August 14th. We dragged our sledges
and loads over a number of floes and ferried across lanes,
arriving finally at a lane which ran westwards, in which
we could paddle ; but it soon packed together again, and
we were stopped. The ivory gulls are very bold, and
last night stole a piece of blubber lying close by the tent
wall."
The following day we had to make our way as well
as we could by paddling short distances in the lanes
or hauling our loads over floes smaller or larger, as
the case might be. The current, which was running like
a mill race, ground them together in its career. Our
progress with our short stumpy sledges was nothing-
very great, and of water suitable for paddling in we
found less and less. We stopped several times and
waited for the ice to open at the turn of the tide, but
it did not do so, and on the morning of August 15th
we gave it up, turned inwards and took to the shore
ice for good. We set our course westwards towards
the sound we had seen for several days now, and had
struggled so to reach. The surface of the ice was
Land at Last.
305
tolerably even and we got over the ground well. On
the way we passed a frozen-in iceberg, which was the
highest we saw in these parts — some 50 to 60 feet, I
should say."^ I wished to go up it to get a better view
of our environment, but it was too steep, and we did
not get higher than a third part up the side.
*' In the evening we at last reached the islands we had
been steering for for the last few days, and for the first
time for two years had bare land under foot. The
delight of the feeling of being able to jump from block
to block of granitet is indescribable, and the delight
was not lessened when in a little sheltered corner among
the stones we found moss and flowers, beautiful poppies
(Papaver nudicaule) Saxifraga nivalis, and a Stellarid
{sp?). It goes without saying that the Norwegian flag
had to wave over this our first bare land, and a banquet
was prepared. Our petroleum, meanwhile, had given
out several days previously, and we had to contrive
another lamp in which train-oil could be used. The
* Icebergs of considerable size have been described as having been
seen off Franz Jdsef Land, but I can only say with reference to this
that during the whole of our voyage through this archipelago we saw
nothing of the kind. The one mentioned here was the biggest of all
those we came across, and they were, compared with the Greenland
icebergs, quite insignificant masses of glacier-ice.
t I have called it granite in my diary, but it was in reality a very
coarse-grained basalt. The specimens I took have unfortunately been
lost.
VOL. II. X
3o6 Chapter VII.
smoking hot lobscouse, made of pemmlcan and the last
of our potatoes, was delicious, and we sat inside the tent
and kicked the bare grit under us to our hearts' content.
" Where we are is becoming more and more incom-
prehensible. There appears to be a broad sound west
of us, but what is it ? The island^ we are now on, and
where we have slept splendidly (this is written on
the morning of August i6th) on dry land, with no
melting of the ice in puddles underneath us, is a long
moraine-like ridge running about north and south
(magnetic), and consists almost exclusively of small and
large — generally very large — blocks of stone, with, I
should say, occasional stationary crags. The blocks are
in a measure rounded off, but I have found no striation
on them. The whole island barely rises above the
snow-field in which it lies, and which slopes in a gradual
•decline down to the surrounding ice. On our west
there is a bare island, somewhat higher, which we
have seen for several days. Along the shore there is a
•decided strand-line (terrace). North of us are two small
islets and a small rock or skerry.
"As I mentioned before (August 13th) I had at
first supposed the sound on our west to be Rawlinson's
Sound, but this now appeared impossible as there was
nothing to be seen of Dove Glacier, by which it is
Lounded on one side. If this was now our position, we
Houen's Island."
f
Land at Last.
307
must have traversed the glacier and Wilczek Land with-
out noticing any trace of either ; for we had travelled
A\-estwards a good half degree south of Cape Buda-Pesth.
The possibility that we could be in this region we conse-
quently now held to be finally excluded. We must have
come to a new land in the western part of Franz Josef
Land or Archipelago, and so far west that we had seen
nothing of the countries discovered by Payer. But so
far west that we had not even seen anything of Oscar's
Land, which ought to be situated in 82"^ N. and 52° E. ?
This was indeed incomprehensible ; but was there any
other explanation ?
''Saturday, August 17th. Yesterday was a good day.
We are in open water on the west coast of Franz
Josef's Land, as far as I can make out, and may again
hope to get home this year. About noon yesterday we
walked across the ice from our moraine-islet to the higher
island west of us. As I was ready before Johansen, I
went on first to examine the island a little. As he was
followincT me he cauorht siofht of a bear on the level ice
to leeward. It came jogging up against the wind
-straight towards him. He had his gun ready, but
when a little nearer the bear stopped, reconsidered the
situation, suddenly turned tail and was soon out of
sight.
*' This island"^ we came to seemed to me to be one of the
* " Torup's Island."
X 2
3o8 Chapter VII.
most lovely spots on the face of the earth. A beautiful
flat beach, an old strand-line with shells strewn about, a
narrow belt of clear water along the shore, where snails
and sea-urchins {^Echinus) were visible at the bottom, and
amphipoda were swimming about. In the cliffs overhead
were hundreds of screaming little auks, and beside us
the snow buntings fluttered from stone to stone with
their cheerful twitter. Suddenly the sun burst forth
through the light fleecy clouds, and the day seemed to
be all sunshine. Here was life and bare land ; we
were no longer on the eternal drift ice ! At the bottom
of the sea just beyond the beach I could see whole
forests of seaweed [Laminaria and Fkcms). Under the
cliffs here and there were drifts of beautiful rose-coloured
snow.^
" On the north side of the island we found the
breeding-place of numbers of Glaucus gulls ; they
were sitting with their young in ledges of the cliffs. Of
course we had to climb up and secure a photograph of
this unusual scene of family life, and as we stood there
high up on the cliff's side we could see the drift-ice
whence we had come. It lay beneath us like a white
plain, and disappeared far away on the horizon. Beyond
* This colour is owing to a beautiful minute red alga, which grows
on the snow (generally Spaerella nivalis). There were also some
yellowish-green patches in this snow, which must certainly be attributed
to another species of alga.
Land at Last.
309
this it was we had journeyed, and farther away still the
Fram and our comrades were drifting yet.
" I had thought of going to the top of this island to
get a better view, and perhaps come nearer solving
the problem of our whereabouts. But when we were
on the west side of it the mist came back and settled on
the top ; we had to content ourselves with only going a
little way up the slope to look at our future course west-
ward. Some way out we saw open water ; it looked like
the sea itself, but before one could get to it there was a
good deal of ice. We came down again and started
off Along the land there was a channel running some
distance farther, and we tried it, but it was covered
everywhere with a thin layer of new ice which we did
not dare to break through in our kayaks, and risk
cutting a hole in them ; so, finally, a little way farther
south we put in to drag up the kayaks and take to the
ice again. While we were doing this one huge bearded
seal after another stuck its head up by the side of the ice
and gazed wonderingly at us with its great eyes ; then,
with a violent header, and splashing the water in all
directions, it would disappear, to come up again soon
afterwards on the other side. They kept playing round
us, blowing, diving, reappearing, and throwing themselves
over so that the water foamed round them. It would
have been easy enough to capture one had we required it.
'' At last, after a good deal of exertion, we stood at the
margin of the ice ; the blue expanse of water lay before
3IO Chapter VII.
us as far as the eye could reach, and we thought that
for the future we had to do with it alone. To the north"^
there was land, the steep, black, basalt cliffs of which fell
perpendicularly into the sea. We saw headland after
headland standing out northwards, and farthest off of all we
could descry a bluish glacier. The interior was every-
where covered with an ice-sheet. Below the clouds, and
over the land, was a strip of ruddy, night sky, which was
reflected in the melancholy, rocking sea.
'' So we paddled on along the side of the glacier
which covered the whole country south of us. We
became more and more excited as we approached the
headland to the w^est. Would the coast trend south
here, and was there no more land westward ? It was
this we expected to decide our fate : decide whether we
should reach home that year or be compelled to winter
somewhere on land. Nearer and nearer we came to it
along the edge of the perpendicular wall of ice. At last we
reached the headland, and our hearts bounded with joy to
see so much water, only water, westwards, and the coast
trending south-west. We also saw a bare mountain
projecting from the ice-sheet a little way farther on ; it
was a curious high ridge, as sharp as a knife-blade. It
was as steep and sharp as anything I have seen, it was
all of dark, columnar basalt, and so jagged and peaked
that it looked like a comb. In the middle of the
* It proved later to be Crown-Prince Rudolf's Land.
Land at Last. 3 1 1
mountain there was a gap or couloir, and there we crept
up to inspect the sea-way southwards. The wall of
A PADDLE ALONG THE EDGE OF THE ICE.
rock was anything but broad there, and fell away on
the south side in a perpendicular drop of several hundred
312 Chapter VII.
feet. A cutting wind was blowing in the couloir. While
we were lying there, I suddenly heard a noise behind
me, and on looking round I saw two foxes fighting
over a little auk which they had just caught. They
clawed and tugged and bit as hard as they could on the
very edge of the chasm ; then they suddenly caught sight
of us, not twenty feet away from them. They stopped
fighting, looked up wonderingly, and began to run round
and peep at us, first from one side, then from the other.
Over us myriads of little auks flew backwards and for-
wards, screaming shrilly from the ledges in the mountain-
side. So far as we could make out, there appeared to be
open sea along the land to the westward. The wind was
favourable, and, although we were tired, we decided to
take advantage of the opportunity, have something to
eat, rig up mast and sail on our canoes, and get afloat.
We sailed till the morning, when the wind went down,
and then we landed on the shore-ice again and camped."'*
** I am as happy as a child in the thought that we are
now at last really on the west coast of Franz Josef Land,
with open water before us, and independent of ice and
currents."
''Wednesday, August 24th. The vicissitudes of this
life will never come to an end. When I wrote last I was
full of hope and courage ; and here we are stopped by
stress of weather for four days and three nights, with the
* Off Brogger's Foreland.
4
Land at Last. 313
ice packed as tight as it can be against the coast. We
see nothing but piled-up ridges, hummocks, and broken
ice in all directions. Courage is still here, but hope,
the hope of soon being home — that was relinquished a
long time ago, and before us lies the certainty of a long,
dark winter in these surroundings.
"It was at midnight between the 17th and i8th that we
set off from our last camping-ground in splendid weather.
Though it was cloudy and the sun invisible, there was
along the horizon in the north the most glorious ruddy
^low with golden sun-tipped clouds, and the sea lay
shining and dreamy in the distance : a marvellous night.
. . . . On the surface of the sea, smooth as a mirror,
without a block of ice as far as the eye could reach, glided
the kayaks, the water purling off the paddles at every
silent stroke. It was like being in a gondola on the
Canale Grande. But there was something almost
uncanny about all this stillness, and the barometer had
^one down rapidly. Meanwhile, we sped towards the
headland in the south-south-west, which I thought was
about 12 miles off"' After some hours we espied ice
ahead, but both of us thought that it was only a loose
chain of pieces drifting with the current, and we paddled
confidently on. But as we gradually drew nearer we saw
that the ice was fairly compact, and extended a greater
and greater distance ; though from the low kayaks it
* Clements Markham's Foreland.
314 Chapter VII.
was not easy to see the exact extent of the pack. We
accorcHngly disembarked and climbed up on a hummock
to find out our best route. The sight which met us
was anything but encouraging. Off the headland we were
steering for, were a number of islets and rocks, extending
some distance out to sea ; it was they that were locking
the ice, which lay in every direction, between them and
outside them. Near us it was slack, but farther off it
looked much worse, so that further advance by sea was
altogether out of the question. Our only expedient
was to take to the edge of the shore-ice, and hope for
the chance that a lane might run along it some . way
farther on. On the way in, we passed a seal lying on
a floe, and as our larder was beginning to grow empty,
I tried to get a shot at it, but it dived into the water
before we came within ranee.
" As we were paddling along through some small bits
of ice my kayak suddenly received a violent shock from
underneath. I looked round in amazement as I had
not noticed any large piece of ice hereabouts. There
was nothing of the kind to be seen either, but worse
enemies were about. No sooner had I glanced down
than I saw a huge walrus cleaving through the water
astern, and it suddenly came up, raised itself and stood on
end just before Johansen, who was following in my wake.
Afraid lest the animal should have its tusks through the
deck of his craft the next minute, he backed as hard
as he could and felt for his gun, which he had down
Land at Last. 315
ill the kayak. I was not long either in pulling my gun
out of its cover. The animal crashed snorting into the
water again, however, dived under Johansen's kayak,
and came up just behind him. Johansen, thinking he
had had enough of such a neighbour, scrambled inconti-
nently on to the floe nearest him. After having
waited a while, with my gun ready for the walrus to come
up close by me, I followed his example. I very nearly
came in for the cold bath which the walrus had
omitted to give me, for the edge of the ice gave
way just as I set my foot on it, and the kayak
drifted off with me standing upright in it, and trying to
balance it as best I could, in order not to capsize. If
the walrus had reappeared at that moment, I should
certainly have received it in its own element. Finally, I
succeeded in getting up on to the ice, and for a long time
afterwards the walrus swam round and round our floe,
where we made the best of the situation by having
dinner. Sometimes it was near Johansen's kayak,
sometimes near mine. We could see how it darted about
in the water under the kayaks, and it had evidently the
greatest desire to attack us again. We thought of giving it
a ball to get rid of it, but had no great wish to part with a
cartridge, and besides it only showed us its nose and
forehead, which are not exactly the most vital spots to
aim at when one's object is to kill with one shot. It was
a great ox-walrus. There is something remarkably
fantastic and pre-historic about these monsters. I could
3i6 Chapter VII.
not help thinking of a merman, or something of the kind,
as it lay there just under the surface of the water blow-
ing and snorting for quite a long while at a time, and
glaring at us with its round glassy eyes. After having
continued in this way for some time, it disappeared just
as tracklessly as it had come ; and as we had finished our
dinner, we were able to go on our way again, glad, a
second time, not to have been upset, or destroyed by its
tusks. The most curious thing about it was, that it came
so entirely without warning — suddenly rising up from the
deep. Johansen had certainly heard a great splash
behind him some time before, which he took to be a seal,
but perhaps it may have been the walrus.
''The lane along the shore-ice gave us little satisfaction,
as it was completely covered with young ice and we
could make no way. In addition to this a wind from the
S.S.W. sprang up, which drove the ice on to us, so there
was nothing for it but to put in to the edge of the ice and
wait until it should slacken again. We spread out the
bag, folded the tent over us, and prepared for rest in the
hope of soon being able to go on. But this was not to
be, the wind freshened, the ice packed tighter and
tighter, there was soon no open water to be seen in any
direction and even the open sea, whence we had come,
disappeared ; all our hopes of getting home that year
sank at one blow. After a while we realised that
there was nothing to be done but to drag our loads
further in on to the shore-ice and camp. To try and haul
Land at Last. 317
the canoes farther over this pack, which was worse than
any ice we had come across since we began our voyage,
we thought was useless. We should get very little
distance in the day, and it might cost us dear with the
kayaks on the short sledges, among all these ridges
and hummocks ; and so we lay there day and night
waiting for the wind to go down or to change. But it
blew from the same quarter the whole time, and matters
were not improved by a heavy fall of snow which made
the ice absolutely impracticable.
'' Our situation was not an attractive one ; in front of
us massive broken sea-ice, close by land, and the gods
alone know if it will open again this year ; a good way
behind us land"^ which looked anything but inviting to
spend the winter on ; around us impassable ice, and our
provender very much on the decline. The south coast of
the country and Eira Harbour now appeared to our
imagination a veritable land of Canaan, and we
thought that if only we were there all our troubles
would be over. We hoped to be able to find Leigh-
Smith's hut there, or at any rate some remains
of it, so that we should have something to live in,
and we also hoped that where there no doubt was
much open water it would be easy to find game. We
regretted not having shot some seals while they
were numerous ; on the night when we left our last
* Helland's Foreland.
3i8 Chapter VII.
camping-place there were plenty of them about. As
Johansen was standing on the edge of the ice doing
something to his kayak, a seal came up just in front of
him ; he thought it was of a kind he had not seen before,
and shouted to me. But at the same moment up came
one black poll after another quiet and silent, from ten
to twenty in number, all gazing at him with their great
eyes. He was quite nonplussed, thought there was
something uncanny about it, and then they disappeared
just as noiselessly as they had come.
" I consoled him by telling him they really were
of a kind we had not seen before on our journey ; they
were young harp, or saddleback seal i^Phoca groenlandica).
We saw several schools of them again later in the day.
'* Meanwhile we killed time as best we could : chiefly
by sleeping. On the early morning of the 21st, just as I
lay thinking what would become of us if the ice should
not slacken and we had no opportunity of adding to our
larder — the chances I thought did not seem very
promising — I heard something pawing and moving out-
side. It might as usual be the packing of the ice, but
still I thought it was more like something on four legs.
I jumped up, saying to Johansen that it must be a bear,
and then I suddenly heard it sniffing by the tent-wall.
I peeped out through some holes in one side of it and
saw nothing ; then I went across to a big hole on the
other side of the tent and there I saw an enormous bear
ju5:t outside. It caught sight of me, too, at the same
Land at Last. 319
moment and [slunk away, but then stopped again and
looked at the tent. I snatched my gun down from the
tent-pole, stuck it through the hole and sent the bear a
ball in the middle of the chest. It fell forward ; but raised
Itself again and struggled off, so I had to give it the
contents of the other barrel in the side. It still
staoforered on, but fell down between some hummocks a
little way off An unusually large he-bear, and for the
time all our troubles for food were ended. The wind,
however, continued steadily from the same quarter. As
there was not much shelter where we w^ere encamped,
and furthermore, as we were uncomfortably near the
ridge where the ice was continually packing, we removed
and took up our abode farther in on the shore-ice, where
we are still lying. Last night there was a bear about
again, but not quite so near the tent.
"We went on an excursion inland^ yesterday to see
what our prospects might be if we should be forced to
spend a winter here. I had hoped to find Hatter ice
farther in, but instead it grew worse and worse the
nearer we went to land, and right in by the headland it
was towering up, and almost impassable. The ice was
piled against the very wall of the glacier. We went up
on the glacier, and looked at the sound to the north of
the headland. A little way in the ice appeared to be
flatter, more like fjord-ice, but nowhere could we see lanes
* On Helland's Foreland
320 Chapter VII.
where there might be a chance of capturing seal. There
was no place for a hut either about here ; while, on the
other hand, we found on the south side of the headland
quite a smiling spot where the ground was fairly level,
and where there was some herbage and an abundance of
moss and stones for building purposes. But outside it,
again, the ice towered up on the shore in chaotic
confusion on all sides. It was a little more level
in the direction of the fjord or sound which ran far
inland to the south, and there it soon turned to flat
fjord-ice ; but there were no lanes there either where
we could hope to capture seal. There did not seem
much prospect of game, but we comforted ourselves with
the reflection that there were tracks of bears in every
direction, and bears would, in case of necessity, be our
one resource for both food and clothes. In the cliffs
above us crowds of little auks had their nests, as on
all such places that we have passed by. We also saw
a fox. The rock-formation was a coarse-grained basalt ;
but by the side of the glacier we discovered a mound
of loose, half-crumbled argillaceous schist, in which,
however, we did not find any fossils. Some blocks
which we thought very much like granite were also
strewn about. ^ Everywhere along the beach the glaciers
* I took specimens of the different rock-formations, lichens, etc.,
that we came across; but in the course of the winter the collection was
stolen by the foxes, and I thus brought little home from the tracts north
of our winter hut.
Land at Last. 321
were covered with red snow, which had a very beautiful
effect in the sunshine.
'' We were both agreed that it might be possible to
winter here, but hoped it was the first and last time we
should set foot on the spot. The way to it, too, was so
bad that we hardly knew how we should get the sledges
and kayaks there.
" To-day, at last, the change we have longed and
waited for so long has come. Last night the south-
west wind quieted down ; the barometer, which I have
been tapping daily in vain, has at last begun to rise a
little, and the wind has gone round to the opposite
quarter. The question now is w^hether, if it keep there,
it will be able to drive the ice out agrain."
Here comes a great gap in my diary, and not till far
on in the winter (Friday, December 6th) do I write : —
" I must at last try and patch the hole in my diary.
There has been so much to see about that I have i^ot no
writing done ; that excuse, however, is no longer avail-
able, as we sleep nearly the whole twenty-four hours."
After having written my journal for the 24th August,
I went out to look for a better and more sheltered place,
as the wind had changed, and now blew straight into the
tent. I hoped, too, that this land-wind might open up
the ice, and I therefore first set off to see whether any
sign of slackening was to be discovered at the edge of
the shore ice ; but the floes lay packed together as solidly
as ever. I found, however, a capital place for pitching
VOL. II. Y
322 Chapter VII.
the tent, and we were busy moving thither when we
suddenly discovered that the ice had split off to the land-
ward, and already there was a broad channel. We
certainly wanted the ice to open up, but not on our land-
ward side ; and now it was a question of getting across
on to the shore ice again at any price, so as not to drift
out to sea with the pack. But the wind had risen to a
stiff breeze, and it seemed more than doubtful whether
we could manage to pull up against it, even for so
short a distance as across the channel. This was
rapidly growing broader and broader. We had, how-
ever, to make* an attempt, and, therefore, set off
along the edge towards a spot farther east, which we
thought would give us a little more shelter for launching
our kayaks. On arriving, however, we found that it
would be no easy matter to launch them here either
without getting them filled with water. It blew so that
the spoondrift was driven over the sea, and the spray
was dashed far in over the ice. There was little else to
be done but to pitch our tent and wait for better times.
We were now more than ever in need of shelter to
keep the tent from being torn by the wind, but
search and tramp up and down as we might we
could find no permanent resting-place, and at last had
to content ourselves with the scant shelter of a
little elevation which we thouofht would do. We had
not lain lon(>" before the orusts of wind made such
onslauohts on the tent that we found it advisable to
Land at Last. 323
take it down, to avoid having- it torn to pieces. We
could now sleep securely in our bags beneath the
prostrate tent, and let the w^nd rage above us. After a
time I awoke, and noticed that the wind had subsided so
much that we could once more raise our tent, and I
crept out to look at the weather. I was less pleasantly
surprised on discovering that we were already far out to
sea ; we must have drifted eight or ten miles from
land, and between it and us lay open sea. The
land now lay quite low, far off on the horizon. Li
the meantime, however, the weather had considerably
improved, and we once more set out along the edge of
the ice to try to get our kayaks launched. But it was
no easy matter. It was still blowing hard, and the sea ran
high. In addition to this, there w^ere a number of loose
tloes beyond, and these were in constant motion, so that
we had to be on the alert to prevent the kayaks from
being crushed between them. After some futile attempts
we at length got afloat, but only to discover that the
wind and the waves were too strong : we should scarcely
be able to make any progress against them. Our only
resource, therefore, was to sail If this were practicable.
We went alongside an Ice promontory, lashed the
kayaks together, raised the mast, and again put to sea.
We soon had our single sail hoisted, and to our unspeak-
able satisfaction we now found that we got along
capitally. At last we should be able to bid farewell to
the ice, w^here we had been compelled to abandon our
Y 2
324 Chapter VII.
hope of reaching home that year. We now continued
sailing hour after hour, and made good progress ; but
then the wind dropped too much for our single sail,
and I ventured to set the whole double sail. Hardly
had we done so, when the wind again sprang up, and
we dashed foaminof throug^h the water. This soon,
however, became a little too much ; the sea washed
over the lee kayak, the mast bent dangerously, and
the situation did not look very pleasant ; there was
nothing for it but to lower the sail again as quickly as
possible. The single sail was again hoisted, and we
were cured for some time of wishing to try anything
more.
We sailed steadily and well the whole day, and now
at last had to pass the difficult cape ; but it was evening
before we left it behind, and now the wind dropped so
much that the whole double sail had to be hoisted again,
and even then progress was slow. We kept on, how-
ever, during the night, along the shore, determined to
make as much use of the wind as possible. We passed
a low promontory covered by a gently-sloping glacier i"^
around it lay a number of islands, which must, we
thought, have held the ice fast. A little farther on
* As this promontory is probably the land Jackson saw farthest
north in the spring of 1895, it has no name upon my map. It is other-
wise with the islands outside, which he did not notice. Thsy are only
indicated approximately (as Geelmuyden Island and Alexander's Island),
as I am not certain of either their number or their exact situation.
Land at Last.
325
we came under some high basaltic cHffs, and here the
wind dropped completely. As it was also hazy, and
we could discern land and islands both to right and
left of us, so that we did not know in what direction
to steer, we put in here, drew the kayaks up on shore,
SAILING ALONG THE COAST.
pitched the tent, and cooked ourselves a good meal of
warm food, which we relished greatly, from the conscious-
ness of having done a good day's work. Above our
heads, all up the face of the cliff, the little auks kept up
326 Chapter VII.
a continual hubbub, faithfully supported by the ivory
gulls, kittiwakes, burgomasters, and skuas. We slept
none the worse for that however. This was a beau-
tiful mountain. It consisted of the finest columnar
basalt one could wish to see, with its buttresses and
niches up the face of the cliff, and its countless points
and spires along every crest, reminding one of Milan
Cathedral. P>om top to bottom it was only column upon
column ; at the base they were all lost in the talus.
When we turned out the following^ morninof, the
weather had so far cleared that we could better see
the way we ought to take. It appeared as if a deep
fjord, or sound ran in eastwards in front of us ; and
our way distinctly lay round a promontory which we
had to the S.S.W. on the other side of the fjord. In
that direction the water appeared to be open, while
within the fjord lay solid ice, and out to sea drift-ice
lay everywhere. Through the misty atmosphere we
could also distinguish several islands.^ Here, too, as
we usually found in the morning, a great quantity of
ice had drifted in in the course of the night — great, flat,
* These three islands, whose bearings we were subsequently enabled
to take, and which we could see from our winter hut, are probably the
land which Jackson saw and took to be "King Oscar Land." In
consequence of his having seen them from only one point (his Cape
Fisher), due south, in 8i°, he has placed them 40' too far north
(in 82°), having over-estimated their distance. (See his map in the
Geographical Journal^ Vol. VII, No. 6, Decembe*-, 1896, London.)
Land at Last.
Z'^1
and thin floes which had settled themselves in front of
us — and it looked as if we should have hard work to get
out into open water. Things went a little better than
we expected, however, and we got through before it
closed in entirely. In front of us now lay open water
right past the promontory far ahead ; the weather was
good, and everything seemed to promise a successful
day. As it began to blow a little from the fjord, and we
hoped it might become a sailing wind, we put in beside
a little rocky island, which looked just like a great stone"^
sticking up out of the sea, and there rigged up mast and
sail. But the sailing wind came to nothing, and we
were soon obliged to unrig, and take to paddling. We
had not paddled far, when the wind went round to
the opposite quarter, the south-west. It increased
rapidly and soon the sea ran high, the sky became
overcast in the south, and it looked as if the weather
might become stormy. We were still several miles
from the land on the other side of the fjord, and we
might have many hours of hard paddling before we gained
it. This land, too, looked far from inviting, as it lay
there, entirely covered with glacier from the summit
right to the shore ; only in one place did a little rock
emerge. To leeward we had the margin of the shore-ice,
low and affording no protection. The waves broke
right upon it, and it would not be a good place to
* Called Steinen on the map.
328 .Chapter VII.
seek refuge in, should such a proceeding become
necessary ; it would be best to get in under land
and see how the weather would turn out. We did
not like the prospect of once more being enclosed in
the drift-ice ; we had had enough of that by this
time, so we made for some land which lay a little
way behind us, and looked very inviting. Should
matters turn out badly, a good place for wintering in
might be found there.
Scarcely had I set foot on land, when I saw a bear a
little way up the shore ; and drew up our kayaks to go
and shoot it. In the meantime it came shambling along
the shore towards us, so we lay down quietly behind the
kayaks and waited. When close up to us it caught
sight of our footprints in the snow, and while it was
snuffing at them Johansen sent a bullet behind its
shoulder. The bear roared and tried to run, but the
bullet had gone through the spine, and the hind part of
its body was paralysed and refused to perform its functions.
In perplexity the bear sat down, and bit and tore its hind
paws until the blood flowed ; it was as if it were chas-
tising them to make them do their duty. Then it tried
again to move away, but with the same result ; the hind
part of its body was no longer amenable to discipline,
and dragged behind, so that it could only shuffle along
on its fore-legs, going round in a ring. A ball through
the skull put an end to its sufferings.
When we had skinned it, we made an excursion
Land at Last. 329
Inland to inspect our new domain, and were now^ not a
little surprised to see two walruses lying quietly on the
Ice close to the spot where I had first caught sight of the
bear. This seemed to me to show how little heed
walruses pay to bears, who will never attack them if they
can help it. I had more decisive proofs of this subse-
quently. In the sea beyond we also saw a walrus, which
kept putting up its head and breathing so hard that it could
be heard a long way off A little later, I saw him approach
the edge of the ice and disappear, only to appear again
in the tidal channel close to the shore, a good way from
the edge of the Ice. He struck his great tusks into the
edge of the ice, while he lay breathing hard, just like an
exhausted swimmer. Then he raised himself high up
on his tusks, and looked across the ice towards the
others lying there, and then dived down again. He soon
reappeared with a great deal of noise farther In, and the
same performance was gone through again. A walrus's
head Is not a beautiful object as It appears above the ice.
With Its huge tusks, its coarse whisker bristles, and
clumsy shape, there Is something wild and goblin-like
about it which, I can easily understand, might inspire
fear In more superstitious times, and give rise to the idea
of fabulous monsters, with which In ancient days these
seas were thought to swarm. At last the walrus came up
In the hole beside which the others were lying, and
raised himself a little way up on to the edge of the
ice by his tusks ; but upon this the bigger of the two,
330 Chapter VII.
a huge old bull, suddenly awoke to life. He grunted
menacingly, and moved about restlessly. The new-
comer bowed his head respectfully down to the Ice, but
soon pulled himself cautiously up on to the floe, so as
to get a hold with his fore-paddle, and then drew himself
a little way In. Now the old bull was thoroughly roused.
He turned round, bellowed, and floundered up to the
new-comer In order to dig his enormous tusks Into his
back. The latter, who appeared to be the old bull's
equal both as regards tusks and size, bowed humbly,
and laid his head down upon the Ice just like a slave
before his sultan. The old bull returned to his com-
panion, and lay quietly down as before, but no sooner
did the new-comer stir, after having lain for some time In
this servile posture, than the old bull grunted and thrust
at him, and he once more respectfully drew back.
This was repeated several times. At length, after much
manoeuvring backwards and forwards, the new-comer
succeeded in drawing himself on to the floe, and
Anally up beside the others. I thought the tender
passion must have something to do with these pro-
ceedings ; but I discovered afterwards that all three were
males. And It Is in this friendly manner that walruses
receive their guests. It appears to be a specially chosen
member of the flock that has these hospitable duties to
perform. I am Inclined to think It Is the leader, who Is
asserting his dignity, and wishes to impress upon every
new-comer that he is to be obeyed. These animals must
Land at Last.
33
be exceedingly sociable, when, in spite of such treatment,
they thus constantly seek one another's society, and
always lie close together. When we returned a little
later to look at them, another had arrived, and by the
following morning six lay there side by side. It is not
easy to believe that these lumps lying on the ice are
living animals. With head drawn in and hind-legs flat
beneath the body, they will lie motionless hour after
hour, looking like enormous sausages. It is easy to see
that these fellows lie there in security, and fearful of
nothing in the world.
After having seen as much as we wanted of the
walruses at close quarters, we went back, prepared a good
meal from the newly slaughtered bear, and lay down to
sleep. On the shore below the tent, the ivory gulls were
making a fearful hubbub. They had gathered in scores
from all quarters, and could not agree as to the fair
division of the bear's entrails ; they fought incessantly,
filling the air with their angry cries. It is one of nature's
unaccountable freaks to have made this bird so pretty,
while giving it such an ugly voice. At a little distance
the burgomasters sat solemnly looking on and uttering
their somewhat more melodious notes. Out in the sea
the walruses were blowing and bellowing incessantly, but
everything passed unheeded by the two weary warriors
in the tent ; they slept soundly, with the bare ground
for their couch. In the middle of the night we
were awakened, however, by a peculiar sound ;
332 Chapter VII.
it was just like some one whimpering and crying,
and making great ado. I started up, and looked out of
the peep-hole. Two bears were standing down beside
our bear's flesh, a she-bear and her young one, and
both sniffing at the bloody marks in the snow, while
the she-bear wailed as if mourning for a dear departed
one. I lost no time in seizing my gun, and was just
putting it cautiously out, when the she-bear caught
sight of me at the peep-hole, and off they both set,
the mother in front, and the young one trotting after
as fast as it could. I just let them run — we had really
no use for them — and then we turned over and went
to sleep again.
Nothinor came of the storm we had feared. The
wind blew hard enough, however, to rend and tear our
now well-worn tent, and there was no shelter where
we lay. We hoped to go on on the following day, but
found, to our disappointment, that the way was blocked ;
the wind had again driven the ice in. We must remain
for the present where we were ; but in that case we
would make ourselves as comfortable as possible. The
first thing to be done was to seek for a warm, well-
sheltered place for the tent, but this was not to be
found. There was nothing for it but to get something
built up of stone. We quarried stone in the ddbiHs at
the bottom of the cliff, and got together as much as
v;e could. The only quarrying implement we had
was a runner that had been cut off a hand-sledoe ; but
Land at Last.
333
our two hands were what we had to use most. We
worked away during the night ; what we had at
first only intended to be a shelter from the wind grew
little by little into four walls ; and we now kept at it
until we had finished a small hut. It was nothing very
wonderful, Heaven knows, not long enough for a
WE BUILD OUR FIRST HUT.
lan of my height to lie straight inside — I had to stick
ly feet out at the door — and just broad enough to admit
)f our lying side by side, and leave room for the cooking
Lpparatus. It was worst, however, with regard to the
height. There was room to lie down, but to sit up
[decently straight was an impossibility for me. The roof
/-as made of our thin and fragile silk tent, spread over
334 Chapter VII.
snowshoes and bamboo rods. We closed the doorway with
our coats, and the walls were so loosely put together that
we could see daylight between the stones on all sides.
We afterwards called it the den, and a dreadful den it
was, too ; but we were none the less proud of our handi-
work. It would not blow down, at any rate, even though
the wind did blow right through it. When we had got
our bearskin in as a couch and lay warm and comfort-
able in our bag, while a good potful of meat bubbled
over the train-oil lamp, we thought existence a pleasure ;
and the fact of there being so much smoke that our
eyes became red and the tears streamed down our cheeks
could not destroy our feeling of content.
As progress southwards was blocked also on the
following day (August 28th), and as autumn w^as now-
drawing on, I at last resolved on remaining here for the
winter. I thought that we still had more than 138 miles
to travel in order to reach Eira Harbour or Leioh Smith's
o
wintering-place ;^ it might take us a long time to get
there, and then we w^ere not sure of finding any hut ; and
when we did get there, it would be more than doubtful if,
before the winter set in, there would be time to build a
house, and also gather stores for the winter. It was
^ I now thought I could safely conclude that we were on the west
coast of Franz Josef Land, and were at this moment a little north of Leigh
Smith's most north-westerly point, Cape Lofley, which should lie a little
south of 81° N. lat.j while our observation that day made us about
81° 19' N. lat.
Land at Last. 335
undoubtedly the safest plan to begin at once to prepare
for wintering, while there was still plenty of game to be
had ; and this was a good spot to winter in. The
hrst thinir I should like to have done was to
have shot the walruses that had been lying on the ice
during the first day or two ; but now, of course, they
were gone. The sea, however, was swarming with them ;
they bellowed and blew night and day, and, in order to
be ready for an encounter with them, we emptied our
kayaks to make them more easy of manipulation in
this somewhat dangerous chase. While thus engaged,
Johansen caught sight of two bears — a she-bear and her
cub — coming along the edge of the ice from the
south. We lost no time in getting our guns and setting
off towards them. By the time they reached the shore
they were within range, and Johansen sent a bullet
through the mother's chest. She roared, bit at the
wound, staggered a few steps, and fell. The young one
could not make out what was the matter with its mother,
and ran round, snuffing at her. When we approached
it went off a litde way up the slope, but soon came back
again and took up a position over its mother, as if to
defend her against us. A charge of small shot put an
end to its life.
This was a good beginning to our winter store. As
I was returninor to the hut to fetch the seal-knives, I
heard cries in the air above me. There were actually two
geese flying south ! With what longing I looked after
^^6 Chapter VII.
them as they disappeared, only wishing that I could have
followed them to the land towards which they were now
wending their flight !
Next to food and fuel, the most important thing was
to get a hut built. To build the walls of this was not
difficult ; there was plenty of stone and moss. The roof
presented greater difficulty, and we had as yet no idea what
to make it of Fortunately, I found a sound drift-wood pine-
log thrown up on to the shore not far from our den ; this
would make a capital ridge-piece for the roof of our
future house. And if there was one, there might be
others. One of our first acts, therefore, was to make an
excursion up along the shore and search ; but all we
found was one short, rotten piece of wood, which was
good for nothing, and some chips of another piece. I
then beean to think of usincx walrus-hides for the roof
instead.
The following day (August 29th) we prepared to try
our luck at walrus-hunting. We had no great desire to
attack the animals in single kayaks, we had had enough
of that, I thought, and the prospect of being upset or of
having a tusk driven through the bottom of the
kayak, or into one's thigh, was not altogether alluring.
The kayaks were therefore lashed together, and, seated
upon the ring, we put out towards a big bull, which
lay and dived just outside. We were well equipped
with guns and harpoons, and thought that it was all
quite simple. Nor was it difficult to get within range,
Land at Last. 337
and we emptied our barrels into the animal's head. It
lay stunned for a moment, and we rowed towards it,
but suddenly it began to splash and whirl round in the
water, completely beside itself. I shouted out that we
must back, but it was too late : the walrus got under the
kayaks, and we received several blows underneath
in the violence of its contortions, before it finally
dived. It soon came up again, and now the sound of
its breathing resounded on all sides, while blood streamed
from its mouth and nostrils, and dyed the surrounding
water. We lost no time in rowing up to it, and pouring
a fresh volley into its head. Again it dived, and we
cautiously drew back, to avoid receiving an attack from
below. It soon appeared again, and we once more rowed
up to it. These manoeuvres were repeated, and each time
it came to the surface it received at least one bullet in the
head, and grew more and more exhausted ; but, as it
always faced us, it was difficult to give it a mortal wound
behind the ear. The blood, however, now flowed in
streams. Durino- one of these manoeuvres, I was in the
act of placing my gun hurriedly in its case on the deck,
in order to row nearer, forgetting that it was cocked,
when all at once it went off I was rather alarmed,
thinking the ball had gone through the bottom of
the kayak, and I began feeling my " legs. They were
uninjured, however, and as I did not hear the water
rushing in either, I was reassured. The ball had
passed through the deck, and out through the side
VOL. II. z
338 Chapter VII.
a little above the water-line. We had now had enough of
this sport, however ; the walrus only lay gasping for
breath, and just as we rowed towards it it turned its head
a little, and received two bullets just behind the ear. It
lay still, and we rowed up to throw our harpoon ;
but before we got near enough, it sank and disappeared.
It was a melancholy ending to the affair ; in all nine
cartridges had been expended to no purpose, and we
silently rowed to shore, not a little crestfallen. We tried
no more walrus-hunting from kayaks that day ; but
we now saw that a walrus had come up on to the shore
ice a little way off. Perhaps we were to receive
compensation there for the one we had just lost. It
was not long before another came up beside the first.
After having taken an observation and given them time
to compose themselves, we set off Having bellowed
and made a horrible noise out there for some time, they
now lay asleep and unsuspecting, and we stole cautiously
up to them, I in front and Johansen close at my heels.
I first went up to the head of the nearer one, which
was lying with its back to us. As it had drawn its
head well down, and it was difficult to get a shot
at a vulnerable spot, I passed behind it, and up to the
head of the other one. The animals still lay motionless,
asleep in the sun. The second was in a better position
for a shot, and, when I saw Johansen standing ready
at the head of the first, I fired at the back of the neck.
The animal turned over a little, and lay there dead.
Land at Last. 339
At the report the first started up, but at the same
moment received Johansen's bullet. Half stunned, it
turned its gigantic body round towards us ; in a moment
I had discharged the ball from my smooth-bore at it,
but, like Johansen, I hit too far forward in the head. The
blood streamed from its nostrils and mouth, and it
breathed and coughed till the air vibrated. Supporting
itself upon its enormous tusks, it now lay still, coughing
blood like a consumptive person, and quite indifferent to
us. In spite of its huge body and shapeless appearance,
which called up to the imagination bogie, giant, and kraken,
and other evil things, there was something so gently
supplicating and helpless in its round eyes as it lay there,
that its goblin exterior and one's own need were forgotten
in pity for it. It almost seemed like murder. I put an
end to its sufferings by a bullet behind the ear, but those
eyes haunt me yet ; it seemed as if in them lay the prayer
for existence of the whole helpless walrus race. But it is
lost; it has man as its pursuer. It cannot, however, be
denied that we rejoiced at the thought of all the meat and
blubber we had now brought down in one encounter ; it
made up for the cartridges expended upon the one that
sank. But we had not got them on land yet, and it
would be a long piece of work to get them skinned, and
cut up, and brought home. The first thing we did
was to go after sledges and knives. As there was
a possibility, too, of the ice breaking off and being
set adrift, I also thought it wise to take the
z 2
340 Chapter VII.
kayaks on the sledges at the same time, for it had
begun to blow a little from the fjord. But for this
fortunate precaution, it is not easy to say what
would have become of us. While we were engaged
in skinning, the wind rose rapidly, and soon became a
storm. To landward of us was the narrow channel or
lane beside which the walruses had been lying. I feared
that the ice might open here, and we drift away. While
we worked, I, therefore, kept an eye on it to see if it
grew broader. It remained unchanged, and we went
on skinning as fast as we could. When the first walrus
was half skinned, I happened to look landwards across
the ice, and discovered that it had broken off a good way
from us, and that the part on which we stood had already
been drifting for some time ; there was black water between
us and the shore-ice, and the wind was blowing so that the
spray flew from the foaming waves. There was no time to
be lost ; it was more than doubtful whether we should be
able to paddle any great distance against that wind and sea,
but as yet the ice did not appear to have drifted a greater
distance from the land than we could cross, if we made
haste. We could not bring ourselves to give up entirely
the huge animals we had brought down, and we hurriedly
cut off as much flesh as we could get at, and flung it into
the 'kayaks.' We then cut off about a quarter of the
skin, with the blubber on it, and threw ^ it on the
top, and then set off for the shore. We had scarcely
abandoned our booty before the gulls bore down
Land at Last. , 341
in scores upon the half - skinned carcase. Happy
creatures ! Wind and waves and drifting were
nothing to them ; they screamed and made a hubbub
and thought what a feast they were having. As long as
we could see the carcases as they drifted out to sea,
we saw the birds continually gathering in larger and
larger flocks about them like clouds of snow. In the
meantime we were doing our utmost to gain the ice,
but it had developed cracks and channels in every
direction. We managfed to gfet some distance in the
kayaks ; but while I was crossing a wide channel
on some loose floes I alighted on such poor ice
that it sank under my weight, and I had to jump
back quickly to escape a bath. We tried in several
places, but everywhere it sank beneath us and our
sledges, and there was nothing for it but to take
to the water, keeping along the lee-side of the
ice. But we had not rowed far before we perceived
that it was of no use to have our kayaks lashed
together in such a wind ; we had to row singly,
and sacrifice the walrus-hide and blubber, which
it then became impossible to take with us. At
present it was lying across the stern of both kayaks.
While we were busy effecting these changes we were
surrounded, before we were aware of it, by ice, and had
to pull the kayaks up hastily to save them from
being crushed. We now tried to get out at several
places, but the ice was in constant motion ; it ground
342 Chapter VII.
round as in a whirlpool. - If a channel opened, we
had no sooner launched our kayaks than it once more
closed violently, and we had to snatch them up in the
greatest haste. Several times they were within a hair s-
breadth of being smashed. Meanwhile the storm was
steadily increasing, the spray dashed over us, and we
drifted farther and farther out to sea. The situation was
not pleasant.
At length, however, we got clear, and now discovered,
to our joy, that by exerting our utmost strength we
could just force the kayaks on against the wind. It
was a hard pull, and our arms ached ; but still we crept
slowly on towards land. The sea was choppy and
bad, but our kayaks were good sea-boats, and even
mine, with the bullet-hole in it, did so well that I
kept to some extent dry. The wind came now and then
in such gusts, that we felt as if it might lift us out of the
water and upset us ; but gradually, as we drew nearer
in under the high cliffs, it became quieter, and at
last, after a long time, we reached the shore, and
could take breath. We then rowed in smoother water
along the shore up to our camping-place. It was with
genuine satisfaction that we clambered on shore that
night, and how unspeakably comfortable it was to be
lying again snugly within four walls in our little den, wet
though we were. A good potful of meat was prepared,
and our appetite was ravenous. It was, indeed, with
sorrow that we thought of the lost walruses now drifting
s >,
Land at Last. 343
out there in the storm ; but we were glad that we were
not still in their company.
I had not slept long, when I was awakened by
Johansen, who said there was a bear outside. Even
when only half awake, I heard a strange, low grunting
just outside the doorway. I started up, seized my
gun, and crept out. A she-bear, with two large cubs
was going up the shore ; they had just passed close
by our door. I aimed at the she-bear, but, in my
haste, I missed her. She started and looked round ;
and as she turned her broad side to me I sent a bullet
through her chest. She gave a fearful roar, and all
three started off down the shore. There the mother
dropped in a pool on the ice, but the young ones ran on,
and rushed into the sea, dashing up the foam as they went,
and began to swim out. I hastened down to the mother,
who was striving and striving to get out of the pool,
but in vain. To save ourselves the labour of dragging
the heavy animal out, I waited until she had drawn
herself up on to the edge, and then put an end to
her existence. Meanwhile the young ones had reached
a piece of ice. It was very close quarters for two,
and only just large enough to hold them ; but there
they sat balancing and dipping up and down in the
waves. Every now and then one of them fell off, but
patiently clambered up again. They cried plaintively
and incessantly, and kept looking towards land, unable
to understand why their mother was so long in coming.
344 ' Chapter VII.
The wind was still high, and they drifted quickly out to
sea before it with the current. We thought they would
at last swim to land to look for their mother, and that we
must wait; we, therefore, hid ourselves among the stones,
so that they should not be afraid of coming on our account.
We could still hear them complaining, but the sound
became more and more distant, and they grew smaller
and smaller out there on the blue waves, till at last it
was all we could do to distinguish them as two white
dots far out upon the dark plain. We had long been
tired of this, and went to our kayaks. But here a sad
sight met our eyes. All the walrus flesh which we had
brought home with so much trouble lay scattered about
on the shore, torn and mangled ; and every bit of fat or
blubber to be found on it had been devoured. The
bears must have been rummaging finely here while we
slept. One of the kayaks, in which the meat had been
lying, was thrown half into the water, the other high up
among the stones. The bears had been right into them,
and dragged out the meat ; but, fortunately, they were
none the worse, so it was easy to forgive the bears, and
we benefited by the exchange of bear's flesh for walrus
flesh.
We then launched the kayaks, and put off to chase
the young ones to land. As soon as ever they saw us on
the water they became uneasy, and while we were still
some way ofl" one of them took to the water. The other
hesitated for a while, as if afraid of the water, while the
Land at Last. .345
first waited impatiently ; but at last they both went in.
We made a wide circuit round them, and began to drive
them towards the land, one of us on each side of them.
It was easy to make them go in whatever direction we
wanted, and Johansen could not say enough in praise of
this simple method of getting bears from one place to
another. We did not need to row hard to keep up with
them ; we went slowly and easily, but surely, towards
land. We saw several walruses in the vicinity, but
fortunately escaped being attacked by any of them.
From the very first it was evident how much
better the bear that first went into the water
swam, although it was the smallest and thinnest.
It waited, however, patiently for the other, and
kept it company ; but at last the pace of the latter
became too slow for its companion, who struck out
for the shore, the distance between the two growing
greater and greater. They had kept incessantly turning
their heads to look anxiously at us, and now the one that
was left behind looked round even more helplessly than
before. While I set off after the first bear, Johansen
watched the second, and we drove them ashore by
our den, and shot them there.
We had thus taken three bears on that day, and
this was a good set-off against our walruses, which
had drifted out to sea, and, what was no less fortunate,
we found the sunken walrus from the day before floating
just at the edge of the shore. We lost no time in
34^ Chapter VII.
towing it into a place of safety in a creek and making it
fast. It made a difference to our winter store.
It was late before we turned in that night after having
skinned the bears, laid them in a heap, and covered them
with the skins to prevent the gulls from getting at them.
We slept well, for we had to make up for two nights.
It was not until September 2nd that we could set to
work on the skinning of our walrus, which still lay in the
water. Close to our den there was an opening in the
strand-ice,"^ connecting the inner channel between the
strand-ice and the land with the outer sea. It was in
this opening that we had made it fast, and we hoped to
be able to draw it on land here ; the glacier ice went with
a gentle incline right out into the water, so that it seemed
to promise well. We rounded off the edge of the ice, made
a tackle by drawing the rope through a loop we cut in the
skin of the head, used our broken-off runner of a sledge
as a handspike at the end of the rope, and cut notches in
the ice up the beach as a fulcrum for the handspike.
But work and toil as we might it was all we could do to
get the huge head up over the edge of the ice. In the
midst of this Johansen cried : " I say, look there ! " I
turned. A large walrus was swimming straight up the
* Ice which is frozen fast to the bottom, and is therefore often left
lying like an icy base along the shore, even after the sea is free from
ice. On account of the warm water which comes from the land, an
open channel is often formed between this ice-base and the shore.
Land at Last. 347
channel towards us. It did not seem to be in any hurry,
but only opened wide its round eyes, and gazed in
astonishment at us and at what we were doing. I
suppose that, seeing a comrade, it had come in to see
what we were doing with him. Quietly, slowly, and
with dignity, it came right up to the edge where we
stood. Fortunately we had our guns with us, and
when I approached with mine it only rose up in
the water, and gazed long and searchingly at me.
I waited patiently until it turned a little, and
then sent a bullet into the back of its head. It
was stunned for a time, but soon began to move, so
that more shots were required. While Johansen ran
for cartridges and a harpoon, I had to fight with it
as I best could, and try to prevent it, with a stick,
from splashing out of the channel again. At last
Johansen returned, and I did for this walrus. We
were delighted over our good fortune, but what the
walrus wanted in that narrow channel we have always
wondered. These animals must be uncommonly curious.
While we were skinning the bears two days before, a
walrus with its young one came close in to the edge
of the ice and gazed at us ; it dived several times, but
always returned, and, at last, drew the whole of the
fore part of its body up on to the ice, in order to see
better. This it did several times, and my approaching
to within a few yards of it did not drive it away ; it
was only when I went up close to it with my gun that it
;48 Chapter VII.
I
suddenly came to its senses, and threw itself backwards
into the water again, and we could see it far below
moving off with its young one by its side.
We now had two great walruses with enormous tusks,
floating in our channel. We tried once more to
drag one of them up, but the attempt was as unsuccess-
ful as before. At last we saw that our only course was
to skin them in the water, but this was neither an easy
nor an agreeable task. When at last, late in the evening,
we had got one side of one animal skinned, it was low
water, the walrus lay on the bottom, and there was
no possibility of turning it over, no matter how we toiled
and pulled. We had to wait for high tide the
following day, in order to get at the other side.
While we were busy with the walruses that day, f
we suddenly saw the whole fjord white with white
whales, gambolling all round as far as the eye could
see. There was an incredible number of them. In the
course of an hour they had entirely disappeared.
Where they came from and whither they went I was
not able to discover.
During the succeeding days we toiled at our task of
skinning and cutting up the walruses, and bringing all up
into a safe place on the beach. It was disgusting work
lying on the animals out in the water, and having to cut
down as far as one could reach below the surface of the
water. We could put up with getting wet, for one gets
dry in time ; but what was worse was that we could not
Land at Last. 349
avoid being saturated with blubber and oil and blood
from head to foot, and our poor clothes that we should
have to live in for another year before we could
change, fared badly during those days. They so
absorbed oil that it went right through to the skin.
This walrus business was unquestionably the worst work
of the whole expedition, and had it not been a sheer
necessity, we should have let the animals lie where they
were ; but we needed fuel for the winter, even if we
could have done without the meat. When at last the
task was completed, and we had two great heaps of
blubber and meat on shore, well covered by the thick
walrus hides, w^e were not a little pleased.
During this time the ^lls were living in luxury.
There was abundance of refuse, blubber, entrails and
other internal organs. They gathered in large flocks
from all quarters, both ivory and glaucus gulls, and kept
up a perpetual screaming and noise both night and day.
When they had eaten as much as they could manage,
they generally sat out on the ice-hummocks and chattered
together. When we came down to skin, they withdrew
only a very little way from the carcases, and sat waiting
patiently in long rows on the ice beside us, or, led
on by a few bold officers, drew continually nearer.
No sooner did a little scrap of blubber fall, than
two or three ivory gulls would pounce upon it,
often at our very feet, and fight over it until
the feathers flew. Outside the fulmars were sailing in
350 Chapter VII.
their silent, ghost-like flight to and fro over the
surface of the water. Up and down the edge of the
shore, flocks of kittiwakes moved incessantly, darting
like an arrow, with a dull splash, towards the surface
of the water, whenever a little crustacean appeared
'* IN THE WATER LAY WALRUSES.
there. We were particularly fond of these birds, for they
kept exclusively to the marine animals and left our
blubber alone ; and then they were so light and
pretty. But up and down along the shore the skua
{Sterco7'arius crepidata) chased incessantly, and every
Land at Last.
351
now and again we were startled by a pitiful cry of
distress above our heads ; it was a kittiwake pursued
by a skua. How often we followed with our eyes that
wild chase up in the air, until at last the kittiwake
had to drop its booty, and down shot the skua,
catching it even before it touched the water! Happy
creatures that can move with such freedom up there !
Out in the water lay walruses, diving and bellow-
ing, often whole herds of them ; and high up in
the air, to and fro, flew the little auks in swarms ;
you could hear the whirr of their wings far off There
were cries and life on all sides. But soon the sun
will sink, the sea will close in, the birds will disappear
one after another towards the south, the polar night will
begin, and there will be profound, unbroken silence.
It was with pleasure that we, at last, on September
7th, set to work to build our hut. We had selected
a good site in the neighbourhood, and from this time
forward we might have been seen daily going out in
the morning like other labourers, with a can of drinking-
water in one hand and a gun in the other. We quarried
stones up among the debris from the cliff, dragged them
together, dug out the site, and built walls as well as
we could. We had no tools worth mentioning ; those
we used most were our two hands. The cut-off
sledge-runner again did duty as a pick, with which
to loosen the fast-frozen stones, and when we could
not manage to dig up the earth on our site with our
352 Chapter VII.
hands we used a snowshoe staff with an iron ferrule.
We made a spade out of the shoulder-blade of a walrus
tied to a piece of a broken snowshoe-staff, and a mattock
out of a walrus tusk tied to the cross-tree of a sledge.
They were poor things to work with, but we managed
it with patience, and little by little there arose solid walls
of stone with moss and earth between. The weather
was growing gradually colder, and hindered us not a
little in our work. The soil we had to dig in hardened,
and the stones that had to be quarried froze fast ; and
there came snow too. But great was our surprise when
we crept out of our den on the morning of the 12th
of September to find the most delightful thaw,
with 4" (C.) of heat (39'2° Fahn). This was
almost the highest temperature we had experienced
throughout the expedition. On every side streams
were tumbling in foaming falls down from mountain and
glacier, humming along merrily among the stones down
to the sea. Water trickled and tinkled everywhere ; as
if by a stroke of magic, life had returned to frozen
nature, and the hill looked green all over. One could
fancy oneself far south, and forget that a long, long winter
was drawing near. The day after, everything was
changed again. The gentle gods of the south, who
yesterday had put forth their last energies, had once
more fled ; the cold had returned, snow had fallen
and covered every trace : it would not yield again.
This little strip of bare ground, too, was in the power of
Land at Last. 353
the genii of the cold and darkness ; they held sway now,
iofht down to the sea. I stood lookino- out over it.
How desolate and forsaken this spell-bound Nature
looked ! My eye fell upon the ground at my feet.
Down there among the stones, the poppy still reared its
beautiful blossoms above the snow ; the last rays of the
departing sun would once more kiss its yellow petals,
and then it would creep beneath its covering to sleep
through the long winter, and awake again to new life
in the spring. Ah, to be able to do the same !
After a week's work, the w^alls of our hut were
finished. They were not high, scarcely 3 feet above the
ground ; but we had dug down the same distance into
the ground, so we reckoned that it would be high enough
to stand up in. Now the thing was to get it roofed,
but this was not so easy. The only materials we had
towards it were, as before mentioned, the log we had
found, and the walrus-hides. The log, which was quite
12 inches across, Johansen at last, after a day's work,
succeeded in cutting in two with our little axe, and with
no less labour, we rolled it up over the talus, and on
to the level, and it was laid on the roof as the ridge-
piece. Then there were the hides ; but they w^ere
stiff and frozen fast to the meat and blubber heaps
which they covered. With much difficulty we at length
loosened them by using wedges of walrus tusks, stone,
and wood. To transport these great skins over the
long distance to our hut was a no less difficult matter.
VOL. II. 2 A
354 Chapter VII.
However, by rolling them, carrying them, and dragging
them we accomplished this too ; but to get the frozen
skins stretched over the hut was the worst of all. We
got on pretty well with three half-skins, just managing
to bend them a little ; but the fourth half was frozen
quite stiff, and we had to find a hole in the ice, and sink
it in the sea, to thaw it.
It was almost a cause for anxiety, I thought, that all
this time we saw nothing of any bears. They were
what we had to live upon all through the winter, and the
six we had would not go far. I thought, however, that
it might easily be accounted for, as the fjord-ice, to which
the bear prefers to keep, had taken its departure on the
day when we had nearly drifted out to sea with the
walruses, and I thought that, when the ice now formed
again, bears would appear once more. It was, therefore, a
relief when one morning (September 23rd) I caught sight
of a bear in front of me, just as I came round the promon-
tory to look at the skin that we had in soak in the sea.
It was standing on the shore close by the skin. It had
not seen me, and I quickly drew back to let Johansen,
who was following with his gun, pass me, while I ran
back to fetch mine. When I returned, Johansen lay on
the same spot behind a stone, and had not fired. There
were two bears, one by the hut and one by the shore ;
and Johansen could not get up to the one without being
seen by the other. When I had gone after my gun, the
bear had turned its steps towards the hut ; but just as
Land at Last. 355
it reached it, Johansen suddenly saw two bear's paws
come quickly over the edge of the wall, and hit
out at the first bear, and a head followed imme-
diately after. This fellow was busy gnawing at our
roof-hides, which he had torn down and bent, so that
we had to put them into the sea too, to get them thawed.
The first bear had to retreat to the shore once more,
where we afterwards discovered it had drawn up our
hide, and had been scraping the fat off it. Under cover
of some hummocks we now ran towards it. It noticed
us, and set off running, and I was only able to send a
bullet through its body from behind. Shouting out to
Johansen that he must look after the other bear, I set off
running, and, after a couple of hours' pursuit up the
fjord, I at last chased it up under the wall of a glacier,
where it prepared to defend itself I went right up to it,
but it growled and hissed, and made one or two attacks
on me from the elevation on which it stood, before I
finally put an end to its existence. When I got
back Johansen was busy skinning the other bear. It
had been alarmed by us when we attacked the first, and
had gone a long way out over the ice ; it had then
returned to look for its companion, and Johansen had
shot it. Our winter store was increasing.
The next day (September 24th), as we were setting
out to work at our hut, we saw a large herd of walruses
lying out on the ice. We had both had more than
enough of these animals, and had very little inclination
2 A 2
356 Chapter VII.
for them. Johansen was of candid opinion that we
had no need for them, and could let them lie In peace,
but I thought It was rather improvident to have food and
fuel lying at one's very door, and make no use of them,
so we set off with our guns. To steal up to the animals,
under cover of some elevations on the ice, was a matter
of small difficulty, and we had soon come within 40 feet
of them, and could lie there quietly and watch them.
The point was to choose one's victim, and make good
use of one's shot, so as not to waste cartridges. There
were both old and young animals, and, having had more
than enough of big ones, we decided to try for the two
smallest that we could see ; we thought we had no need
of more than two. As we lay waiting for them to turn
their heads, and give us the chance of a good shot, we
had plenty of opportunity to watch them. They are
strange animals. They lay incessantly poking one
another in the back with their huge tusks, both the big
old ones and the little young ones. If one of them
turned over a little, so as to come near and disturb his
neighbour, the latter Immediately raised itself grunting
and dug its tusks into the back of the first. It was by
no means a gentle caress, and It Is well for them that
they have such a thick hide ; but, as it was, the blood
ran down the backs of several of them. The other
would, perhaps, start up too, and return the little atten-
tion in the same manner. But It was when another
guest came up from the sea that there was a stir
Land at Last. 357
in the camp ; they all grunted in chorus, and one
of the old bulls that lay nearest to the new
arrival, gave him some well - meant blows. The
newcomer, however, drew^ himself cautiously up, bowed
respectfully, and little by little drew himself in among
the others, who also then gave him as many blows as
time and circumstances w^ould permit, until they finally
composed themselves again, and lay quiet until another
interruption came. We waited in vain for the animals
we had picked out to turn their heads enough to let us
get a good shot ; but as they were comparatively small,
we thought that a bullet in the middle of the forehead
might be enough for them, and at last we fired. They
started up, however, and turned over half-stunned into
the water. Then there was a commotion ! The whole
herd quickly raised their ugly heads, glared at us, and
one by one plunged out over the edge of the
ice. We had hastily loaded again, and as it was
not difficult now to get a good shot, we fired, and
there lay two animals, one young and one old. Most of
the others dived, only one remaining quietly, lying and
looking wonderingly, now at its two dead companions,
and now at us as we came up to it. We did not quite
know what to do ; we thought that the two that were
now lying there would give us more than enough to do,
but nevertheless it was tempting to take this great
monster as well, while we were about it. While
Johansen was standing with his gun, considering whether
358 Chapter VII.
he should fire or not, I took the opportunity of photo-
graphing both him and the walrus. It ended, however,
in our letting it go unharmed ; we did not think we
could afford to sacrifice more cartridges upon it. Mean-
time the water beyond was seething with furious animals,
'' I PHOTOGRAPHED HIM AND THE WALRUS."
as they broke up the ice round about and filled the air
with their roaring. The big bull himself seemed
especially anxious to get at us ; he kept returning to the
edge of the ice, getting half up on to it to grunt and bellow
at us, and look lono- at his dead comrades, whom he
Land at Last.
59
evidently wished to take with him. But w^e would not
waste more cartridges upon them, and he threw himself
back, only to return again immediately. Gradually the
whole herd departed, and we could hear the big bull's
grunting becoming more and more distant ; but suddenly
his huge head appeared again at the edge of the ice,
close to us, as he challenged us with a roar, and then
disappeared again as quickly as he had come. This was
repeated three or four times, after our having, in the
intervals, heard him far out ; but at last he disappeared
entirely, and we continued our work of skinning in
peace. We very quickly skinned the smaller of the
walruses ; it was easy to manipulate compared to those
we were accustomed to. The other, how^ever, was a
great fellow that could not be easily turned over in the
hollow in the snow where he lay ; so we contented our-
selves with skinning one side from head to tail, and then
went home again with our blubber and skins. We now
thought we should have blubber enough for winter fuel,
and had also abundance of skins for covering the roof of
our hut.
The walruses still kept near us for some time.
Every now and then we would hear some violent blows
on the ice from beneath, two or three in succession, and
then a great head would burst up with a crash through
the ice. It would remain there for a time panting and
puffing so that it would be heard a long way off, and
then vanish again. On September 25th, while we
i
;6o
Chapter VII.
were pulling our roof-hides out of the water, at a hole
near the shore, we heard the same crashing in the ice
a little farther out, and a walrus came up and then
dived again. '' Look there ! It won't be long before
'' IT GAZED WICKEDLY AT US."
we have him in this hole." The words were scarcely
spoken, when our hide in the water was pushed aside
and a huge head, with bristles and two long tusks,
popped up in front of us. It gazed fixedly and wickedly
Land at Last. 361
at us standing there, then there was a tremendous splash
and it was gone.
Our hides were now so far softened in the sea, that we
could stretch them over the roof They were so long
that they reached from one side of the hut right over the
ridge-piece down to the other side, and we stretched
them by hanging large stones at both ends, attached by
strips of hide, thus weighing them down over the edges
of the wall, and we then piled stones upon them. By the
aid of stones, moss, strips of hide, and snow to cover
everything, we made the edges of the walls to some
extent close-fitting. To make the hut habitable, we still
had to construct benches of stone to lie upon inside it,
and also a door. This consisted of an opening in one
corner of the wall, which led into a short passage, dug out
in the ground, and subsequently roofed over with blocks
of ice on very much the same principle as the passage to
an Eskimo's house. We had not dug this passage so
long as we wished, before the ground was frozen too
hard for our implements. It was so low that we had to
creep through it in a squatting posture to get into the
hut. The inner opening was covered with a bear-skin
curtain, sewn firmly to the walrus-hide of the roof; the
outer end was covered with a loose bear-skin laid over the
opening. It began to grow cold now, as low as — 20° C.
(4° below zero Fahn), and living in our low den, where
we had not room to move, became more and more
intolerable ; the smoke, too, from the oil-lamp when we
362 Chapter VII.
did any cooking, always affected our eyes. We grew
daily more impatient to move into our new house, which
now appeared to us the acme of comfort. Our ever-
recurring remark while we were building was, how
nice and snug it would be when we got in, and we
depicted to one another the many pleasant hours we
should spend there. We were, of course, anxious to dis-
cover all the bright points that we could in our existence.
The hut was certainly not large ; it was 10 feet long
and 6 feet wide, and when you lay across it, you kicked
the wall on one side, and butted it on the other. You
could move in it a little, however, and even I could
almost stand upright under the roof. This was a
thought which especially appealed to us. Fancy having
a place sheltered from the wind where you could
stretch your limbs a little ! We had not had that since
last March on board the Fraiii. It w^as long, however,
before everything was in order, and we would not move
in until it was quite finished.
The day we had skinned our last walruses, I had
taken several tendons from their backs, thinking they
might be very useful when we made ourselves clothes for
the winter, for we were entirely without thread for that
purpose. Not until a few days afterwards (September
26th) did I recollect that these tendons had been left on
the ice beside the carcases. I went out there to look for
them, but found to my sorrow that gulls and foxes had
long since made away with them. It was some comfort,
I
Land at Last. 363
however, to fined traces of a bear, which must have been
at the carcases during the night, and as I looked about
I caught sight of Johansen running after me, making
signs, and pointing out towards the sea. I turned that
way and there was a large bear, walking to and fro, and
looking at us. We had soon fetched our guns, and,
while Johansen remained near the land to receive the
bear if it came that way, I made a wide circuit round it
on the ice to drive it landwards, if it should prove to be
frightened. In the meantime, It had lain down out there
beside some holes, I suppose to watch for seals. I stole
up to it ; it saw me and at first came nearer, but then
thought better of it, and moved away again, slowly and
majestically, out over the new ice. I had no great
desire to follow It in that direction, and, though the
range was long, I thought I must try it. First one shot :
it passed over. Then one more : that hit. The bear
started, made several leaps, and then in anger struck the
ice until it broke, and the bear fell through. There
it lay splashing and splashing, and breaking the thin
ice with its weight as It tried to get out again. I
was soon beside it, but did not want to sacrifice
another cartridge ; I had faint hopes, too, that it would
manage to get out of the water by itself, and thus save
us the trouble of dragging such a heavy animal out. I
called to Johansen to come with a rope, sledges, and
knives, and in the meantime I walked up and down
waiting and watching. The bear laboured hard, and
3^4
Chapter VII.
made the opening in the ice larger and larger. It was
wounded in one of its fore-legs, so that it could use only
the other, and the two hind-legs. It kept on taking hold
and pulling itself up. But no sooner had it got half up
than the ice gave way, and it sank down again. By
degrees its movements became more and more feeble,
till at last it only lay still and panted. Then came a few
spasms, its legs stiffened, its head sank down into the
water, and all was still. While I was walking up and
down I several times heard walruses round about, as
they butted holes in the ice, and put their heads
through ; and I was thinking to myself that I should
soon have them here too. At that moment the
bear received a violent blow from beneath, pushing
it to one side, and up came a huge head with great
tusks ; it snorted, looked contemptuously at the bear,
then gazed for a while wonderingly at me, as I stood
on the ice, and finally disappeared again. This had
the effect of making me think the old solid ice, a little
farther in, a pleasanter place of sojourn than the new ice.
My suspicion that the walrus entertains no fear for the
bear was more than ever strengthened. At last
Johansen came with a rope. We slipped a running
noose round the bear's neck, and tried to haul it out,
but soon discovered that this was beyond our power ;
all we did was to break the ice under the animal,
wherever we tried. It seemed hard to have to give it
up ; it was a big bear and seemed to be unusually fat ;
Land at Last. 365
but to continue in this way until we had towed up to the
edge of the thick ice would be a lengthy proceeding.
By cutting quite a narrow crack in the new ice,
only wide enough to draw the rope through, up to the
edge of a large piece of ice which was quite near,
we got pretty well out of the difficulty. It was now
an easy matter to draw the bear thither under the ice,
and after breaking a sufficiently large hole, we drew
it out there. At last we had got it skinned and cut
up, and, heavily laden with our booty, we turned our
steps homewards, late in the evening, to our den. As we
approached the beach where our kayaks were lying upon
one of our heaps of walrus-blubber and meat, Johansen
suddenly whispered to me : "I say, look there ! " I
looked up, and there stood three bears on the heaps,
tearing at the blubber. They were a she-bear and two
young ones. "Oh dear!" said I ; ''shall we have
to set to at bears again." I was tired, and, to tell the
truth, had far more desire for our sleeping-bag and a good
potful of meat. In a trice we had got our guns out, and
were approaching cautiously ; but they had caught sight
of us, and set off over the ice. It was with an undeni-
able feeling of gratitude that we watched their retreating
forms. A little later, while I was standing cutting up the
meat, and Johansen had gone to fetch water, I heard him
whistle. I looked up, and he pointed out over the ice.
There in the dusk were the three bears coming back :
our blubber-heap had been too tempting for them. I
o
66 Chapter VII.
crept with my gun behind some stones close to the heap.
The bears came straight on, looking neither to right nor
left, and as they passed me I took as good an aim at the
she-bear as the darkness would allow, and fired. She
roared, bit her side, and all three set off out over
the ice. There the mother fell, and the young ones
stood astonished and troubled beside her until we
approached, when they fled, and it was impossible to get
within range of them. They kept at a respectful distance,
and watched us while we dragged the dead bear to land,
and skinned it. When we went out next morning,
they were standing sniffing at the skin and meat ;
but before we could get within range they saw us, and
were off again. We now saw that they had been there
all night, and had eaten up their own mothers stomach,
which had contained some pieces of blubber. In the
afternoon they returned once more ; and again we
attempted, but in vain, to get a shot at them. Next
morning (Saturday, September 28th), when we crawled
out, we caught sight of a large bear lying asleep on our
blubber-heap. Johansen crept up close to it, under cover
of some stones. The bear heard something moving,
raised its head, and looked round. At the same instant
Johansen fired, and the bullet went right through the
bear's throat, just below the cranium. It got slowly up,
looked contemptuously at Johansen, considered a little,
and then walked quietly away with long measured steps
as if nothing had happened. It soon had a couple of
Land at Last. 367
bullets from each of us in its body, and fell out on the
thin ice. It was so full of food that, as it lay there, blubber
and oil and water ran out of its mouth on to the ice,
which began gradually to sink under its weight, until
it lay in a large pool, and we hastily dragged it in to
the shore, before the ice gave way beneath it. It was
one of the laro^est bears I have ever seen, but also one
of the leanest ; for there was not a trace of fat upon it,
neither underneath the skin, nor among the entrails.
It must have been fasting for a long time, and
been uncommonly hungry ; for it had consumed an
incredible quantity of our blubber. And how it had
pulled it about ! First it had thrown one kayak off,
then it had scattered the blubber about in all directions,
scraping off the best of the fat upon almost every single
piece, then it had gathered the blubber together again
in another place, and then, happy with the happiness
of satiety, had lain down to sleep upon it, perhaps so as
to have it handy when it woke up again. Previous to
attacking the blubber-heap it had accomplished another
piece of work, which we only discovered later on.
It had killed both the young bears that had been
visitincr us ; we found them not far off, with broken
skulls, and frozen stiff. We could see by the foot-prints
how it had run after them out over the new ice, first one
and then the other, and had dragged them on land, and
laid them down without touching them again. What
pleasure it can have had in doing this, I do not under-
368 Chapter VII
stand, but it must have regarded them as competitors in
the struggle for food. Or was it, perhaps, a cross old
gentleman, who did not like young people? ''It is so
nice and quiet here now," said the ogre, when he had
cleared the country.
Our winter store now began quite to inspire con-
fidence.
At length, on the evening of that day, we moved into
our new hut ; but our first night there was a cold one.
Hitherto we had slept in one bag all the time, and even
the one we had made by sewing together our two
blankets had been, fairly adequate. But now we
thought it would not be necessary to sleep in one bag
any longer, as we should make the hut so warm by
burning train-oil lamps in it, that we could very well
lie each in our own berth with a blanket over us, and so
we had unpicked the bag. Lamps were made by turning
up the corners of some sheets of German silver, filling
them with crushed blubber, and laying in this, by way of
a wick, some pieces of stuff from the bandages in the
rnedicine-bag. They burned capitally, and gave such a
good light, too, that we thought it looked very snug ; but
it neither was nor ever would be sufficient to warm our
still rather permeable hut, and we lay and shivered with
cold all night. We almost thought it was the coldest
night we had had. Breakfast next morning tasted
excellent, and the quantity of bear-broth we consumed in
order to put a little warmth into our bodies is incredible.
Land at Last. 369
We at once decided to alter this by making along the
back wall of the hut a sleeping-shelf broad enough
for us to lie beside one another. The blankets
were sewn together again, we spread bear-skins under
us, and were as comfortable as we could be under
the circumstances ; and we made no further attempt
to part company at night. It was impossible to make
the substratum at all even, with the rough, angular
stones which, now that everything was frozen, were all
we had at our disposal, and therefore we lay tossing and
twistinof the whole winter to find somethinof like a
comfortable place among all the knobs. But it was hard,
and remained so, and we always had some tender spots
on our body, and even sores on our hips with lying. But
for all that we slept. In one corner of the hut we made
a little hearth to boil and roast upon. In the roof above
we cut a round hole in the walrus-hide, and made a
smoke-board up to it of bear-skin. We had not used
this hearth long before we saw the necessity of building
a chimney to prevent the wind from beating down, and
so filling the hut with smoke, as to make it sometimes
intolerable. The only materials we had for building
this were ice and snow ; but with these we erected a
grand chimney on the roof, which served its purpose, and
made a good draught. It was not quite permanent, how-
ever ; the hole in it constantly widened with use, and it was
not altogether guiltless of sometimes dripping down on to
the hearth ; but there was abundance of this building
VOL. II. 2 B
370 Chapter VII.
material, and It was not difficult to renew the chimney
when It was in need of repair. This had to be done two
or three times during the course of the winter. On
more exposed spots we employed walrus-flesh, bone, and
such-like materials to strengthen it.
Our cookery was as simple as possible. It consisted in
boiling bear's flesh and soup (bouillon) in the morning,
and frying steak in the evening. We consumed large
quantities at every meal, and, strange to say, we never
grew tired of this food, but always ate it with a ravenous
appetite. We sometimes either ate blubber with it,
or dipped the pieces of meat in a little oil. A long time
might often pass when we ate almost nothing but meat,
and scarcely tasted fat ; but. when one of us felt Inclined
for it again, he would, perhaps, fish up some pieces
•of burnt blubber out of the lamps, or eat what was
left of the blubber from which we had melted the lamp-
oil. We called these cakes, and thought them uncom-
monly nice, and we were always talking of how delicious
they would have been if we could have had a little sugar
on them.
We still had some of the provisions we had brought
from the Fram, but these v/e decided not to use during
the winter. They were placed In a depot to be kept
until the spring, when we should move on. The depot
was well loaded with stones to prevent the foxes from
running away with the bags. They were impudent
enough already, and took all the movable property they
Land at Last. 371
could lay hold of. I discovered, for instance, on
October loth, that they had gone off with a quantity
of odds and ends I had left in another depot during
the erection of the hut ; they had taken everything
that they could possibly carry with them, such as pieces
of bamboo, steel wire, harpoons and harpoon -lines, my
collection of stones, mosses, etc., which were stored in
small sail-cloth bags. Perhaps the worst of all was that
they had gone off with a large ball of twine, which had
been our hope and comfort when thinking of the time
when we should want to make clothes, shoes, and
sleeping-bags of bearskin for the winter ; for we had
reckoned on making thread out of the twine. It was
fortunate that they had not gone off with the theodolite,
and our other instruments which stood there ; but these
must have been too heavy for them. I was angry when
I made this discovery, and what made it more aggravating,
it happened on my birthday. And matters did not
improve, when, while hunting about in the twilight on
the beach above the place where the things had been
lying, to see if I could at any rate discover tracks to
show which way those demons had taken them, I met a
fox that stopped at a distance of 20 feet from me,
sat down, and uttered some exasperating howls so
piercing and w^eird, that I had to stop my ears.
It was evidently on its way to my things again,
and was - now provoked at being disturbed. I got
hold of some large stones and flung them at it.
2 B 2
372 Chapter VII.
It ran oft a little way, but then seated itself upon the
edge of the glacier and howled on, while I went home
to the hut in a rag laye, down and speculated as to what
we should do to be revenged on the obnoxious animals.
We could not spare cartridges to shoot them with, but
we might make a trap of stones. This we determined
to do, but nothing ever came of it ; there were always
so many other things to occupy us at first, while we still
had the opportunity, before the snow covered the talus,
and while it was light enough to find suitable stones.
Meanwhile the foxes continued to annoy us. One day
they had taken our thermometer,^ which we always kept
outside the hut, and gone off with it. We searched for
it in vain for a long time, until at last we found it buried
in a heap of snow a little way off. From that time we
were very careful to place a stone over it at night, but
one morninof found that the foxes had turned over the
stone, and had orone off with the thermometer aoain.
The only thing we found this time was the case,
which they had thrown away a little way off.
The thermometer itself we were never to see again ;
the snow had unfortunately drifted in the night,
so that the tracks had disappeared. Goodness only
knows what fox-hole it now adorns ; but from that day
* It was a registering thermometer, which was also used as a sh'n<
thermometer.
Land at Last. t^'jt,
we learned a lesson, and henceforward fastened our last
thermometer securely.
Meanwhile time passed. The sun sank lower and
lower, until on the 15th October we saw it for the last
time above the ridge to the south ; the days grew rapidly
darker, and then began our third polar night.
We shot two more bears in the autumn, one on the
8th and one on the 21st October ; but from that time we
saw no more until the following spring. When I awoke
on the morning of the 8th October, I heard the crunch-
ing of heavy steps in the snow outside, and then began a
rummaging about among our meat and blubber up on
the roof. I could hear it was a bear, and crept out with
my gun, but when I came out of the passage, I could see
nothing in the moonlight. The animal had noticed me,
and had already disappeared. We did not altogether
regret this, as we had no great desire to set to at the
cold task of skinning now, in a wind, and with 39° (70*2°
Fahr.) of frost.
There was not much variety in our life. It consisted
in cooking and eating breakfast in the morning. Then,
perhaps, came another nap, after which we would go out
to get a little exercise. Of this, however, we took no
more than was necessary, as our clothes, saturated as they
were with fat, and worn and torn in many places, were not
exactly adapted for remaining in the open air in winter.
Our wind-clothes, which we should have had outside as
a protection against the wind, were so worn and torn
374 Chapter VII.
that we could not use them ; and we had so little thread
to patch them with, that I did not think we ought to use
any of it until the spring, when we had to prepare for
our start. I had counted on being able to make our-
selves clothes of bear-skins, but it took time to cleanse
them from all blubber and fat, and it was even a slower
business getting them dried. The only way to do this
was to spread them out under the roof of the hut, but
there was room for only one at a time. When at last
one was ready, we had hrst of all to use it on our bed,
for we were lying on raw, greasy skins, which were
gradually rotting. When our bed had been put in
order with dried skins, we had to think about making
a sleeping-bag, as, after a time, the blanket-bag that we
had got rather cold to sleep in. About Christmas time,
accordingly, we at last managed to make ourselves a
bear-skin bag. In this way all the skins we could prepare
were used up, and we continued to wear the clothes we
had throughout the winter.
These walks, too, w^ere a doubtful pleasure, because
there is always a wind there, and it blew hard under
the steep cliff. We felt it a wonderful relief when it
occasionally happened to be almost calm. As a rule the
wind howled above us, and lashed the snow along, so that
everything was wrapped in mist. Many days would some-
times pass almost without our putting our heads out of
the passage, and it was only bare necessity that drove
us out to fetch ice for drinking-water, or a leg or carcase
Land at Last. 3^5
of a bear for food, or some blubber for fuel. As a rule
we also brou^^ht in some sea-water ice, or, if there were
an opening or a crack to be found, a little sea-water for
our soup.
When we came in, and had mustered up appetite for
another meal, we had to prepare supper, eat till we were
satisfied, and then get into our bag and sleep as long as
possible, to pass the time. On the whole we had quite a
comfortable time in our hut. By means of our train-oil
lamps we could keep the temperature in the middle of
the room at about freezing point. Near the wall, how-
ever, it was considerably colder, and there the damp
deposited itself in the shape of beautiful hoar-frost
crystals, so that the stones were quite white, and in
happy moments we could dream that we dwelt in marble
halls. This splendour, however, had its disadvantages,
for when the outside temperature rose, or when we
heated up the hut a little, rivulets ran down the wall into
our sleeping-bag. We took turns at being cook, and
Tuesday, when one ended his cooking-week, and the
other began, afforded on that account the one variation
in our lives, and formed a boundary-mark by which we
divided out our time. We always reckoned up how
many cooking-weeks we had before we should break up
our camp in the spring. I had hoped to get so much
done this winter, work up my observations and notes,
and write some of the account of our journey ; but very
little was done. It was not only the poor, flickering
3/6 Chapter VII.
light of the oil-lamp which hindered me, nor yet the
uncomfortable position, either lying on one's back, or
sitting up and fidgeting about on the hard stones, while
the part of the body thus exposed to pressure ached ;
but altogether these surroundings did not predispose one
to work. The brain worked dully, and I never felt
inclined to write anything. Perhaps, too, this was
owing to the impossibility of keeping what you wrote
upon clean ; if you only took hold of a piece of paper
your fingers left a dark brown, greasy mark, and if
a corner of your clothes brushed across it, a dark
streak appeared. Our journals of this period look dread-
ful. They are "black books" in the literal sense of the
term. Ah! how we longed for the time when we should
once more be able to write on clean white paper and
with black ink. I often had difficulty in reading the
pencil notes I had written the day before, and now, in
writing this book, it is all I can do to find out what was
once written on these dirty, dark brown pages. I
expose them to all possible lights, I examine them with
a magnifying glass; but notwithstanding, I often have to
give it up.
The entries in my journal for this time are exceed-
ingly meagre ; there are sometimes wrecks when there is
nothing but the most necessary meteorological observa-
tions with remarks. The chief reason for this is that our
life was so monotonous that there was nothing to write
about. The same thoughts came and went day after
AN ILLEGIBLE PAGE FROM MY DIARY
Land at Last. 379
day ; there was no more variety In them than in our
conversation. The very emptiness of the journal really
gives the best representation of our life during the
nine months we lived there.
"Wednesday, November 27th. —23° C. (9*4° below
zero Fahr.). It is windy weather, the snow whirling
about your ears, directly you put your head out of the
passage. Everything is grey ; the black stones can be
made out in the snow a little way up the beach, and
above you can just divine the presence of the dark
cliff; but wherever else the gaze is turned, out to sea,
or up the fjord, there is the same leaden darkness, one
is shut out from the wide world, shut into oneself. The
wind comes in sharp gusts, driving the snow before
it ; but up under the crest of the mountain it whistles
and roars in the crevices and holes of the basaltic
walls — the same never-ending song that it has sung
through the thousands of years that are past, and will
go on singing through thousands of years to come.
And the snow whirls alone in its aore-old dance ; it
spreads itself in all the crevices and hollows, but it
does not succeed in covering up the stones on the
beach ; black as ever, they project into the night. On
the open space in front of the hut, two figures are
running up and down like shadows in the winter dark-
ness to keep themselves warm, and so they will run up
and down on the path they have trampled out, day
after day, till the spring comes."
380 Chapter VII.
''Sunday, December ist. Wonderfully beautiful
weather for the last few days ; one can never weary
of going up and down outside, while the moon
transforms the whole of this ice world into a fairy-land.
The hut is still in shadow under the mountain which
hangs above it, dark and lowering ; but the moonlight
floats over ice and fjord, and is cast back glittering from
every snowy ridge and hill. A weird beauty, without
feeling, as though of a dead planet, built of shining
white marble. Just so must the mountains stand there,
frozen and icy cold ; just so must the lakes lie con-
gealed beneath their snowy covering ; and now as ever
the moon sails silently and slowly on her endless course
through the lifeless space. And everything so still, so
awfully still, with the silence that shall one day reign,
when the earth again becomes desolate and empty,
when the fox will no more haunt these moraines, when
the bear will no long^er wander about on the ice out
there, when even the wind will not rage — infinite silence !
In the flaming aurora borealis, the spirit of space hovers
over the frozen waters. The soul bows down before the
majesty of night and death."
'' Monday, December 2nd. Morning. To-day I can
hear it blowing again outside, and we shall have an
unpleasant walk. It is bitterly cold now in our worn,
greasy clothes. It is not so bad when there is no wind ;
but even if there is only a little, it goes right through
one. But what does it matter ? Will not the spring one
Land at Last. 381
day come here, too ? Yes ; and over us arches the
same heaven now as always, high and calm as ever ;
and as we walk up and down here shivering, we gaze
into the boundless starry space, and all our privations
and sorrows shrink into nothingness. Starlit night,
thou art sublimely beautiful, but dost thou not lend
our spirit too mighty wings, greater than we can
control ? Could'st thou but solve the riddle of exist-
ence ! We feel ourselves the centre of the universe,
and struggle for life, for immortality, one seeking it
here, another hereafter ; while thy silent splendour
proclaims : at the command of the Eternal, you came
into existence on a paltry planet, as diminutive links, in the
endless chain of transformations ; at another command,
you will be wiped out again. Who then, through an
eternity of eternities, will remember that there once was
an ephemeral being who could bind sound and light in
chains, and who was purblind enough to spend years of
his brief existence in drifting through frozen seas .^ Is,
then, the whole thing but the meteor of a moment ?
Will the whole history of the world evaporate like a
dark, gold-edged cloud in the glow of evening — achiev-
ing nothing, leaving no trace, passing like a caprice ?
" Evening. That fox is playing us a great many tricks,
whatever he can move he goes off with. He has once
gnawed off the band with which the door-skin is fas-
tened, and every now and then we hear him at it again,
and have to go out and knock on the roof of the passage.
o
82 Chapter VII.
To-day he went off with one of our sails, in which
our salt-water ice was lying. We were not a little
alarmed, when we went to fetch ice, and found sail
and all orone. We had no doubt as to who had
been there, but we could not under any circumstances
afford to lose our precious sail on which we depended for
our voyage to Spitzbergen in the spring, and we tramped
about in the dark, up the beach, over the level, and
down towards the sea. W'e looked everywhere, but
nothing was to be seen of it. At last we had almost
given it up, when Johansen, in going on to the ice
to get more salt-water ice, found it at the edge of the
shore. Our joy was great ; but it was wonderful
that the fox had been able to drag that great sail,
full of ice too, so far. Down there, however, it had
come unfolded, and then he could do nothing with
it. But what does he want with things like this ? Is it
to lie upon in his winter den ? One would almost think
so. I only wish I could come upon that den, and find
the thermometer again, and the ball of twine, and the
harpoon line, and all the other precious things he has
taken, the brute ! "
"Thursday, December 5th. It seems as if it would
never end. But patience a little longer, and spring will
come, the fairest spring that earth can give us. There is
furious weather outside, and snow, and it is pleasant to
lie here in our warm hut, eating steak, and listening to
the wind raging over us."
Land at Last. 383
''Tuesday, December loth. It has been a bad wind.
Johansen discovered to-day that his kayak had dis-
appeared. After some search he found it again several
hundred feet off, up the beach ; it was a good deal
knocked about, too. The wind must first have lifted it
right over my kayak, and then over one big stone after
another. It begins to be too much of a good thing when
even the kayaks take to flying about in the air. The
atmosphere is dark out over the sea, so the wind has
probably broken up the ice, and driven it out, and there
is open w^ater once more."^
" Last night it all at once grew wonderfully calm, and
the air was surprisingly mild. It was delightful to be
out, and it is long since we have had such a long walk on
our beat. It does one good to stretch one's legs now and
then, otherwise I suppose w^e should become quite stiff
here in our winter lair. Fancy, only 12° (2i|^° F.)
of frost in the middle of December ! We might almost
imagine ourselves at home — forget that we were in a
land of snow to the north of the eighty-first parallel."
"Thursday, December 12th. Between 6 and 9 this
morninor there w^ere a number of shootino- stars, most of
them in Serpentarius. Some came right from the Great
Bear ; afterwards they chiefly came from the Bull, or
^ It often blew very fresh there under the mountain. Another time,
•one of my snowshoes, which was stuck into the snowdrift beside the hut,
was broken short off by the wind. It was a strong piece of maple.
384 Chapter VII.
Aldebaran, or the Pleiades. Several of them were very
bright, and some drew a streak of shining dust after
them. Lovely weather. But night and day are now
equally dark. We walk up and down, up and down, on
the level, in the darkness. Heaven only knows how many
steps we shall take on that level before the winter ends.
Through the gloom we could see faintly only the black
cliffs, and the rocky ridges, and the great stones on the
beach, which the wind always sweeps clean. Above
us the sky, clear and brilliant with stars, sheds its
peace over the earth ; far in the west falls showier
after shower of stars, some faint, scarcely visible,
others bright like Roman candles, all with a mes-
sage from distant worlds. Low in the south lies a
bank of clouds, now and again outlined by the gleam
of the northern lights ; but out over the sea the sky
is dark ; there is open water there. It is quite pleasant
to look at it ; one does not feel so shut in ; it is like a
connecting link with life that dark sea, the mighty artery
of the world, which carries tidings from land to land,
from people to people, on which civilisation is borne
victorious through the earth ; next summer it will carry
us home."
" Thursday, December 19th. — 28'5° (i9'3° below zero
Fahr.). It has turned cold again, and is bitter weather
to be out in. But what does it signify.^ We are com-
fortable and warm in here, and do not need to go out
more than we like. All the out-of-door work we have is
Plate Xin.
:S^i
Lagan 8, GUMMING Lith"' Edinburgh
Streamers op Aurora IjOREalis, -Zf^lh Novfrnher 1893. Pastel Skirteh.
4
4
Land at Last. 385
to bring in fresh and salt water ice two or three times a
week, meat and blubber now and again, and very occa-
sionally a skin to dry under the roof. And Christmas,
the season of rejoicing, is drawing near. At home every
one is busy now, scarcely knowing how to get time for
everything ; but here there is no bustle ; all we want is
to make the time pass. Ah, to sleep, sleep ! The pot
is simmering pleasantly over the hearth ; I am sitting
waiting for breakfast, and gazing into the flickering
flames, while my thoughts travel far away. What is
the strange power in fire and light that all created
beings seek them, from the primary lump of protoplasm
in the sea, to the roving child of man, who stops in
his wanderings, makes up a fire in the wood, and sits
down to dismiss all care, and revel in the crackling
warmth. Involuntarily do these snake-like, fiery tongues
arrest the eye ; you gaze down into them as if you
could read your fate there, and memories glide past
in motley train. What, then, is privation ? what the
present ? Forget it, forget yourself ; you have the
power to recall all that is beautiful, and then wait for the
summer .... By the light of the lamp she sits sewing
in the winter evening. Beside her stands a little maiden
with blue eyes and golden hair, playing with a doll.
She looks tenderly at the child, and strokes her hair ;
but her eyes fill, and the big tears fall upon her
work.
'' Johansen is lying beside me asleep ; he smiles in his
VOL. II. 2 c
386 Chapter VII.
sleep. Poor fellow ! he must be dreaming he is at home
at Christmas time with those he loves. But sleep on, —
sleep and dream, while the winter passes ; for then comes
spring — the spring of life."
''Sunday, December 22nd. Walked about outside
for a long time yesterday evening, while Johansen was
having a thorough cleaning in the hut, in preparation for
Christmas. This consisted chiefly in scraping the ashes
out of the hearth, gathering up the refuse of bone and
meat, and throwing it away, and then breaking up the
ice, which has frozen together with all kinds of rubbish
and refuse, into a thick layer upon the floor, making the
hut rather low in the roof.
" The northern lio-hts were wonderful. However often
we see this weird play of light, we never tire of gazing
at it ; it seems to cast a spell over both sight and sense
till it is impossible to tear oneself away. It begins
to dawn with a pale, yellow, spectral light behind the
mountain in the east, like the reflection of a fire far away.
It broadens, and soon the whole of the eastern sky is
one glowing mass of fire. Now it fades again, and
gathers in a brightly luminous belt of mist stretching
towards the south-west, with only a few patches of
luminous haze visible here and there. After a while,
scattered rays suddenly shoot up from the fiery mist,
almost reaching to the zenith ; then more ; they play
over the belt in a wild chase from east to west. They
seem to be always darting nearer from a long, long way
Land at Last. 387
off. But suddenly a perfect veil of rays showers from
the zenith out over the northern sky ; they are so fine
and bright, like the finest of glittering silver threads.
Is it the fire-giant Surt himself, striking his mighty
silver harp, so that the strings tremble and sparkle
in the glow of the flames of Muspelheim ? Yes, it is
harp music, wildly storming in the darkness ; it is the
riotous war-dance of Surt's sons. And again, at times,
it is like softly playing, gently-rocking, silvery waves,
on which dreams travel into unknown worlds.
*' The winter solstice has come, and the sun is at its
lowest ; but still, at midday we can just see a faint
glimmer of it over the ridges in the south. Now it is
again beginning to mount northwards ; day by day it
will grow lighter and lighter, and the time will pass
rapidly. Oh, how well I can now understand our fore-
fathers' old custom of holding an uproarious sacrificial
banquet in the middle ot winter, when the power of the
winter darkness was broken. We would hold an up-
roarious feast here, if we had anything to feast with ;
but we have nothing. What need is there either ? We
shall hold our silent festival in the spirit, and think of
the spring.
" In my walk I look at Jupiter over there above the
crest of the mountain — Jupiter, the planet of the home ;
it seems to smile at us, and I recognise my good
attendant spirit. Am I superstitious ? This life and
this scenery might well make one so ; and, in fact, is not
2 c 2
388 Chapter VII.
every one superstitious, each in his own way? Have
not I a firm belief in my star, and that we shall meet
again ? It has scarcely forsaken me for a day. Death,
I believe, can never approach before one's mission is
accomplished, never comes without one feeling its
proximity ; and yet a cold fate may one day cut the
thread without warning."
** Tuesday, December 24th. At 2 p.m. to-day — 24° C.
(i I *2^ below zero Fahr.). And this is Christmas Eve, cold
and windy out of doors, and cold and draughty indoors.
How desolate it is ! Never before have we had such a
Christmas Eve.
" At home the bells are now ringing Christmas in. I
can hear their sound as it swings through the air from
the church tower. How beautiful it is !
'' Now the candies are being lighted on the Christmas-
trees, the children are let in and dance round in joyous
delight. I must have a Christmas party for children
when I get home. This is the time of rejoicing, and
there is feasting in every cottage at home. And we are
keeping the festival in our little way. Johansen has
turned his shirt, and put the outside shirt next him ; I
have done the same, and then I have changed my
drawers, and put on the others that I had wrung out in
warm water. And I have washed myself, too, in a
quarter of a cup of warm water, with the discarded
drawers as sponge and towel. Now I feel quite another
being ; my clothes do not stick to my body as much as
I
Land at Last. 389
they did. Then for supper we had ' fiskegratin,' made
of powdered fish and maize-meal, with train-oil to it
instead of butter, both fried and boiled (one as dry as the
other), and for dessert we had bread fried in train-oil.
To-morrow morning we are going to have chocolate and
bread. "^
"Wednesday, December 25th. We have got lovely
Christmas weather, hardly any wind, and such bright,
beautiful moonlight. It gives one quite a solemn
feeling. It is the peace of thousands of years. In
the afternoon the northern lights were exceptionally
beautiful. When I came out at six o'clock there
was a bright, pale yellow bow in the southern sky.
It remained for a long time almost unchanged, and then
began to grow much brighter at the upper margin of the
bow behind the mountain crests in the e^st. It
smouldered for some time, and then all at once light
darted out westwards along the bow ; streamers shot up all
along it towards the zenith, and in an instant the whole
of the southern sky from the arc to the zenith was aflame.
It flickered and blazed, it whirled round like a whirlwind
(moving with the sun), rays darted backwards and
forwards, now red and reddish-violet, now yellow,
green, and dazzling white ; now the rays were red at the
* Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve were the only occasions on
which we allowed ourselves to take any of the provisions which we were
keeping for our journey southwards.
390 Chapter VII.
bottom, and yellow and green farther up, and then again
this order was inverted. Higher and higher it rose ; now
it came on the north side of the zenith too, for a moment
there was a splendid corona, and then it all became one
whirling mass of fire up there ; it was like a whirlpool of
fire in red, yellow, and green, and the eye was dazzled
with looking at it. 1 1 then drew across to the northern sky,
where it remained a long time, but not in such brilliancy.
The arc from which it had sprung in the south was still
visible, but soon disappeared. The movement of the
rays was chiefly from west to east, but sometimes the
reverse. It afterwards flared up brightly several times in
the northern sky ; I counted as many as six parallel bands
at one time, but they did not attain to the brightness oi
the former ones.
'* And this is Christmas Day. There are family
dinners going on at home. I can see the dignified
old father standing smiling and happy in the doorway
to welcome children and grandchildren. Out-of-doors
the snow is falling softly and silently in big flakes, the
young folk come rushing in fresh and rosy, stamp the
snow off their feet in the passage, shake their things and
hang them up, and then enter the drawing-room, where
the fire is crackling comfortably and cosily in the stove ;
and they can see the snowflakes falling outside, and
covering the Christmas corn-sheaf. A delicious smell of
roasting comes from the kitchen, and in the dining-room
the long table is laid for a good, old-fashioned dinner
Land at Last. 391
with good old wine. How nice and comfortable every-
thing is ! One might fall ill with longing to be home.
But wait, wait, when summer comes
'' Oh, the road to the stars is both long and difficult."
''Tuesday, December 31st. And this year too is
vanishing. It has been strange, but after all it has
perhaps not been so bad.
" They are ringing out the old year now at home.
Our church-bell is the icy wind howling over glacier and
snowfield, howling fiercely as it whirls the drifting snow
on high in cloud after cloud, and sweeps it down upon us
from the crest of the mountain up yonder. Far in up
the fjord you can see the clouds of snow chasing one
another over the ice in front of the gusts of wind, and
the snow-dust glittering in the moonlight. And the full
moon sails silent and still out of one year into another.
She shines alike upon the good and the evil, nor does
she notice the wants and yearnings of the new year.
Solitary, forsaken, hundreds of miles from all that one
holds dear ; but the thoughts flit restlessly to and fro on
their silent paths. Once more a leaf is turned in the
book of eternity, a new blank page is opened, and no one
knows what will be written on it."
CHAPTER VIII.
The New Year, 1896.
** Wednesday, January ist, 1896. — 41 '5° C. (42*2° below-
zero Fahr.). So a new year has come, the year of joy
and home-coming. In bright moonhght 1895 departed,
and in bright moonHght 1896 begins; but it is bitterly
cold, the coldest days we have yet known here. I
felt it, too, yesterday, when all my finger-tips were
frost-bitten. I thought I had done with all that last
spring."
'* Friday, January 3rd. Morning : it is still clear and
cold out of doors ; I can hear reports from the glacier.
It lies up there on the crest of the mountain like a
mighty ice-giant peering down at us through the clefts.
It spreads its giant's body all over the land, and
stretches out its limbs on all sides into the sea. But
whenever it turns cold — colder than it has hitherto been
-—it writhes horribly, and crevice after crevice appears
m the huge body ; there is a noise like the discharge of
guns, and the sky and the earth tremble so that I can
feel the ground that I am lying on quake. One is
The New Year, 1896. 393
almost afraid that it will some day come rolling over
upon one.'"'
*' Johansen is asleep, and making the hut resound. I
am glad his mother cannot see him now. She would
certainly pity her boy, so black and grimy, and ragged
as he is, with sooty streaks all over his face. But wait,
only wait ! She shall have him again, safe and sound,
and fresh and rosy."
" Wednesday, January 8th. Last night the wind blew
the sledge to which our thermometer was hanging out
over the slope. Stormy weather outside — furious
weather, almost taking away your breath if you put
your head out. We lie here trying to sleep — sleep the
time away. But we cannot always do it. Oh, those long
sleepless nights when you turn from side to side, kick
your feet to put a little warmth into them, and wish for
only one thing in the world — sleep ! The thoughts are
constantly busy with everything at home, but the long,
heavy body lies here trying in vain to find an endurable
position among the rough stones. However, time
crawls on, and now little Liv's birthday has come. She
is three years old to-day, and must be a big girl now.
* These rumblings in the glacier are due to rifts which are formed in
the mass of ice when the cold causes it to contract. New rifts seemed
to be formed only when the temperature sank lower than it had
previously been in the course of that winter ; at least it was only then
that we heard the rumblings.
394 Chapter VIII.
Poor little thing ! You don't miss your father now ;
and next birthday I shall be with you, I hope. What
good friends we shall be ! You shall ride-a-cock-horse,
and I will tell you stories from the north about bears,
foxes, walruses, and all the strange animals up there in
the ice. No, I can't bear to think of it."
** Saturday, February ist. Here I am down with the
'' LIFE IN OUR HUT.
rheumatism. Outside it is growing gradually lighter
day by day, the sky above the glaciers in the south
grows redder, until at last one day the sun will rise
above the crest, and our last winter night be past.
Spring is coming ! I have often thought spring sad.
Was it because it vanished so quickly, because it carried
promises that summer never fulfilled ? But there is no
The New Year, 1896. 395
sadness in this spring ; its promises will be kept ; it
would be too cruel if they were not."
It was a strange existence, lying thus in a hut under-
ground the whole winter through, without a thing to turn
one's hand to. How we longed for a book! How
delightful our life on board the Fram appeared, when we
had the whole library to fall back upon. We would often
tell each other how beautiful this sort of life would have
been after all, if we had only had anything to read.
Johansen always spoke with a sigh of Heyse's novels ;
he had specially liked those on board, and he had not
been able to finish the last one he was reading. The
little readable matter which was to be found in our navi-
gation-table and almanack I had read so many times
already that I knew it almost by heart — all about the
Norwegian royal family, all about persons apparently
drowned, and all about self-help for fishermen. Yet it
was always a comfort to see these books ; the sight of
the printed letters gave one a feeling that there was after
all a little bit of the civilised man left. All that we really
had to talk about had long ago been thoroughly thrashed
out, and, indeed, there were not many thoughts of common
interest that we had not exchanged. The chief pleasure
left to us was to picture to each other how we should
make up next winter at home for everything we had
missed during our sojourn here. We felt that we should
have learnt for good and all to set store by all the good
things of life, such as food, drink, clothes, shoes, house.
39^ Chapter VIII.
home, good neighbours, and all the rest of it. Frequently
we occupied ourselves, too, in calculating how far the
Frant could have drifted, and whether there was any
possibility of her getting home to Norway before us. It
seemed a safe assumption that she might drift out into
the sea between Spitzbergen and Greenland next summer
or autumn, and probability seemed to point to her being
in Norway in August or September. But there was just
the possibility that she might arrive earlier in the summer ;
or, on the other hand, we might not reach home until
later in the autumn. This was the great question to
which we could give no certain answer, and we reflected
with sorrow, that she might perhaps get home first.
What would our friends then think about us ? Scarcely
anyone would have the least hope of seeing us again,
not even our comrades on board the Fram. It seemed
to us, however, that this could scarcely happen ; we could
not but reach home in July, and it was hardly to be
expected that the Fram could be free from the ice so
early in the summer.
But where were we ? And how great was the
distance we had to travel ? Over and over again I
reckoned out our observations of the autumn and
summer and spring, but the whole matter was a per-
petual puzzle. It seemed clear, indeed, that we must be
lying somewhere far to the west, perhaps off the west
coast of Franz Josef Land, a little north of Cape
Lofley, as I had conjectured in the autumn. But, if
The New Year, 1896. 397
that were so, what could the lands be which we had
seen to the northward ? And what was the land
to which we had first come ? From the first group
of islands, which I had called White Land (Hvitenland),
to where we now lie, we had passed about 7° of longi-
tude—that our observations proved conclusively. But
if we were now in the longitude of Cape Fligely, these
islands must lie on a meridian so far east that it would
fall between King Oscar's Land and Crown Prince
Rudolf Land ; and yet we had been much further east
and had seen nothing of these lands. How was this to
be explained ? And furthermore, the land we saw had
disappeared, to the southward ; and we saw no indication
of islands further east. No, we could not have been near
any known land ; we must be upon some island lying
further west, in the strait between Franz Josef Land and
Spitzbergen ; and we could not but think of the hitherto
so enigmatic Gillies Land. But this, too, seemed
difficult to explain ; for it was hard to understand how,
in this comparatively narrow strait, such an extensive mass
of land as this could find room without coming so near the
North-East Land of Spitzbergen that it could easily be
seen from it. No other conclusion, however, seemed at
all plausible. We had long ago given up the idea that our
watches could be even approximately right; for in that
case, as already mentioned, we must have come right across
Payer's Wilczek Land and Dove Glacier without having
noticed them. This theory was consequently excluded.
398 Chapter VIII.
There were other things, too, that greatly puzzled me.
If we were on a new land, near Spitzbergen, why were
the rose gulls never seen there, while we had found them
in flocks here to the north ? And then there was the
great variation of the compass. Unfortunately I had no
chart of the variations with me, and I could not
remember where the zero meridian of variation lay — the
boundary line between easterly and westerly variation.
I thought, however, that it lay somewhere near the North-
East Land ; and here we had still a variation of about 20°.
The whole thing was and remained an insoluble riddle.
As the daylight began to lengthen later in the spring,
I made a discovery which had the effect of still more
hopelessly bewildering us. At two points on the horizon
about W S.W., I fancied that I could see land looming
in the air. The appearance recurred again and again,
and at last I was quite certain that it really was land ;
but it must be very far away ; at least 69 miles, I
thought."^ If it had been difficult to find room between
Franz Josef Land and North-East Land for the islands
we had hitherto seen, it was more difficult still to find^
room for these new ones. Could it be the North-East
Land itself? This seemed scarcely credible. This land
must lie in about 8 1 ° or so northward, while the North-East
Land does not reach much north of 80°. But at least
these islands must be pretty near North-East Land, and
■^ It proved afterwards that the distance was about 56 miles.
The New Year, 1896. 399
if we once reached them, we could not have much
farther to go, and would perhaps find open water all the
way to the Tromso sloop, on which our fancy had now
dwelt for over a year, and which was to take us home.
The thought of all the good things we should find on
board that sloop was what comforted us whenever the
time hung unendurably heavy on our hands. Our life
was not, indeed, altogether luxurious. How we longed
for a change in the uniformity of our diet. If only we
could have had a little sugar and farinaceous food, in
addition to all the excellent meat we had, we could have
lived like princes. Our thoughts dwelt longingly on
great platters full ot cakes, not to mention bread and
potatoes. How we would make up for lost time
when we got back ; and we would begin as soon
as we got on board that Tromso sloop. Would they
have potatoes on board.'* Would they have fresh
bread ? At worst, even hard ship's bread would
not be so bad, especially if we could get it fried in sugar
and butter. But better even than food would be the
clean clothes we could put on. And then books— only
to think of books ! Ugh, the clothes we lived in were
horrible ! and when we wanted to enjoy a really delight-
ful hour we would set to work imagining a great, bright,
clean shop, where the walls were hung with nothing but
new, clean, soft woollen clothes, from which we could
pick out everything we wanted. Only to think of shirts,
vests, drawers, soft and warm woollen trousers, deliciously
L
400 Chapter VIII.
comfortable jerseys, and then clean woollen stockings
and warm felt slippers — could anything more delightful
be imagined ? And then a Turkish bath ! We would
sit up side by side in our sleeping-bag for hours at a
time, and talk of all these things. They seemed almost
unimaginable. Fancy being able to throw away all the
heavy, oily rags we had to live in, glued as they were to
our bodies. Our legs suffered most ; for there our
trousers stuck fast to our knees, so that when we moved
they abraded and tore the skin inside our thighs till it
was all raw and bleeding. I had the greatest difficulty
in keeping these sores from becoming altogether too
ingrained with fat and dirt, and had to be perpetually
washing them with moss, or a rag from one of the
bandages in our medicine-bag, and a little water, which
I warmed in a cup over the lamp. I have never
before understood what a magnificent invention soap
really is. We made all sorts of attempts to wash the
worst of the dirt away ; but they were all equally unsuc-
cessful. Water had no effect upon all this grease ; it was
better to scour oneself with moss and sand. We could
find plenty of sand in the walls of the hut, when we
hacked the ice off them. The best method, however,
was to get our hands thoroughly lubricated with warm
bears' blood and train-oil, and then scrub it off again
with moss. They thus became as white and soft as the
hands of the most delicate lady, and we could scarcely
believe that they belonged to our own bodies. When
i 5
a;
O
The New Year, 1896. 401
there was none of this toilet preparation to be had, we
found the next best plan was to scrape our skin with a
knife.
If it was difficult to get our own bodies clean, it was a
sheer impossibility as regards our clothes. We tried all
possible ways ; we washed them both in Eskimo fashion
and in our own ; but neither was of much avail. We
boiled our shirts in the pot hour after hour, but took
them out only to find them just as full of grease as
when we put them in. Then w^e took to wringing
the train-oil out of them. This was a little better ; but
the only thing that produced any real effect w^as to boil
them, and then scrape them with a knife while they were
still warm. By holding them in our teeth and our left
hand and stretching them out, while we scraped them
all over with the right hand, we managed to get amazing
quantities of fat out of them ; and we could almost have
believed that they were quite clean when we put them
on again after they were dry. The fat w^hich we scraped
off was, of course, a welcome addition to our fuel.
In the meanwhile our hair and beard grew entirely
wild. It is true w^e had scissors and could have cut
them ; but as our supply of clothes was by no means
too lavish, we thought it kept us a little warmer to have
all this hair, which began to flow down over our
shoulders. But it was coal-black like our faces, and
we thought our teeth and the whites of our eyes shone
with an uncanny whiteness now that we could see each
VOL. II. 2 D
402 Chapter VIII.
other again in the daylight of the spring. On the whole,
however, we were so accustomed to each other's
appearance that we really found nothing remarkable
about it, and not until we fell in with other people and
found that they were not precisely of that opinion, did
we begin to recognise that our outer man was, perhaps,
open to criticism.
It was a strange life, and in many ways it put our
patience to a severe test ; but it was not so unendurable
as one might suppose. We, at any rate, thought that, all
things considered, we were fairly well off. Our spirits
were good the whole time ; we looked serenely
towards the future, and rejoiced in the thought of all the
delights it had in store for us. We did not even have
recourse to quarrelling to while away the time. After
our return, Johansen was once asked how we two had
got on during the winter, and whether we had managed
not to fall out with each other ; for it is said to be a
severe test for two men to live so long together in per-
fect isolation. " Oh, no," he answered, " we didn't
quarrel ; the only thing was that I have the bad habit of
snoring in my sleep, and then Nansen used to kick me
in the back." I cannot deny that this is the case ; I gave
him many a well-meant kick, but fortunately he only
shook himself a little and slept calmly on.
Thus did our time pass. We did our best to sleep
away as much as possible of it. We carried this art to a
high pitch of perfection, and could sometimes put in as
The New Year, 1896. 403
much as 20 hours' sleep in the 24. If anyone still
holds to the old superstition that scurvy is due to lack of
exercise, he may look upon us as living evidences to the
contrary ; for all the time our health was excellent. As
the light now began to return with the spring, however,
we were more inclined to go out. Besides, it was not
always so cold now, and we had to restrict our sleep a
little. Then, too, the time for our departure was
approaching, and we had plenty to occupy us in the way
of preparation and so forth.
"Tuesday, February 25th. Lovely weather to be
out in to-day ; it is as though spring were beginning.
We have seen the first birds, first a flock of half a
score of little auks i^Mergtilus alk), then a flock of four ;
they came from the south along the land, evidently
through the sound in the south-east, and disappeared
behind the mountain crest to the north-west of us.
Once more we heard their cheerful twittering, and it
roused a responsive echo in the soul. A little later we
heard it again, and then it seemed as if they were
perched on the mountain above us. It was the first
greeting from life. Blessed birds, how welcom.e you are !
*' It was quite like a spring evening at home ; the
sun's red glow faded little by little into golden clouds,
and the moon rose. I went up and down outside, and
dreamt I was in Norway on a spring evening."
" Wednesday, February 26th. To-day we ought to
have had the sun again, but the sky was cloudy."
2 1) 2
404 Chapter VIII.
** Friday, February 28th. I have discovered that it is
possible to get twelve threads out of a bit of twine, and
am as happy as a king. We have thread enough now,
and our wind-clothes shall be whole once more. It is
possible, too, to ravel out the canvas in the bags, and
use it for thread."
'* Saturday, February 29th. The sun high above the
glacier to-day. We must begin to economise in train-oil
in earnest now if we are to get away' from here, or there
will be too little blubber for the journey."
" Wednesday, March 4th. When Johansen went out
this morning, the mountain above us was covered with
little auks, which flew twittering froni crest to crest, and
sat all over the glacier. When we went out again later
on, they were gone."
'' Friday, March 6th. We are faring badly now. We
have to sleep in the dark to save oil, and can only cook
once a day."
'' Sunday, March 8th. Shot a bear. Johansen saw
ten flocks of little auks flying up the sound this
morning."
'' Tuesday, March loth. That bear the day before
yesterday came in the nick of time, and an amusing
fellow he was too. We were very badly off both for
blubber and meat, but most for blubber, and we were
longing for a bear ; we thought it must be about time
for them to come again now\ I had just spent Sunday
morning in m.ending my wind-trousers and patching
The New Year, 1896. 405
my ' komager ' so as to be all ready if a bear should
come. Johansen, whose cooking week it was, had been
sewing a little too, and was just cleaning up the hut
for Sunday, and taking out some bone and meat : he
had taken it as far as the passage. But no sooner
had he raised the skin over the opening out there,
than I heard him come tumbling head foremost in
again over the bone heap and say : ' There's a bear
standing just outside the door.' He snatched his gun
down from where it hung, under the roof, and again put
his head into the passage, but drew it quickly back,
saying, ' He is standing close by, and must be thinking
about coming in.' He managed to draw aside a corner
of the door-skin, just enough to give him elbow room to
shoot, but it was not altogether easy. The passage
was narrow enough before, and now, in addition,
it was full of all the back-bones and scraps of
meat. I saw him once lift the gun to his shoulder,
as he lay crouched together, but take it down again ;
he had forgotten to cock it, and the bear had
moved a little away, so that he only saw its muzzle and
paws. But now it began scraping down in the passage
with one paw, as if it w^anted to come in, and Johansen
thought he must fire, even if he could not see. He put
out his gun, pointing the barrel at the upper edge of the
opening ; he thought the shot must go right into the
bear's breast, and so he fired. I heard a dull growl,
and the crunching of the snow^ under heavy foot-
4o6
Chapter VIII.
steps, which went up towards the talus. Johansen
loaded again, and put his head out at the opening. He
said he saw it going up there, and that it didn't seem up
to much, and forthwith he rushed after it. I, meanwhile,
was lying head foremost in the bag hunting for a sock
which I could not find. At last, after a long search, I
JOHANSEN FIRED THROUGH THE OPENING.
found it — on the floor, of coarse. Then I, too, was ready;
and well equipped with gun, cartridges, knife, and file
(to sharpen the seal-knife), I followed. I had my wind-
trousers on, too ; they had been hanging unused all
through the winter's cold, for want of thread to mend them
The New Year, 1896. 407
with, but now, when the temperature was only — 2° C.
(28*4° F.), they of course had to come out. I followed
the tracks ; they went westwards and northwards
along the shore. After a little while I at last
met Johansen, who said that the bear lay farther
on ; he had at last got up to it, and finished
it with a shot in the back. While he returned
to fetch the sledges, I went on to begin skinning.
It was not to be done quite so quickly, however.
As I approached the place where I thought it must
be lying, I caught sight of the ' dead bear ' far ahead,
trotting pretty briskly along the shore. Now and
then it stopped to look round at me. I ran out on
to the ice, to get outside it, if possible, and drive
it back, so that we should not have so far to drag it.
When I had kept on at this for some time, and was
about on a level with it, it began clambering up the
glacier, and under some ragged rock. I had not reckoned
on a ' dead bear ' being able to do this, and the only
thing was to stop it as soon as possible ; but, just as I got
within range, it disappeared over the crest. Soon I
saw it again, a good deal higher up and far out of
range. It was craning its neck to see if I were fol-
lowing. I went up some way after it, but, as it went
on along the mountain more quickly than I could
follow it in the deep snow, under which, moreover, there
were crevices into which I kept falling up to my waist,
I preferred to clamber down on to the fjord-ice again.
4o8 Chapter VIII.
In a little while the bear emerged from beneath a
perpendicular cliff with a precipitous bit of talus beneath
it. Here it began to crawl carefully along at the very
top of the talus. I was now afraid of its lying down in
a place like this wiiere we could not get at it, and even
though the range was long I felt I must fire and see if I
could not make it fall over. It did not look as if it had
too firm a footing up there. It was blowing like any-
thing here under the cliff, and I saw that the bear had
to lie flat down and hold on with its claws when
the worst gusts came, and then, too, it had only
three paws to hold on with : the right fore-leg had
been broken. I went up to a big stone at the
lower edge of the talus, took good aim and fired.
I saw the bullet strike the snow just beneath it,
but whether it was hit or not, it started up and
tried to jump over a drift, but slipped, and rolled
over. It tried several times to stop itself, but went
on, until at last it found its feet, and began to
crawl slowly up again. Meanwhile I had loaded again,
and the range was now shorter. I fired once more. It
stood still a moment, then slipped farther and farther
down the drift, at first slowly, then quicker and quicker,
rolling over and over. I thought it was coming straight
towards me, but comforted myself with the thought that
the stone I was standing behind was a good solid one.
I squatted down and quickly put a fresh cartridge into
my gun The bear had now arrived at the talus below
The New Year, 1896. 409
the drift ; it came tearing clown, together with stones
and lumps of snow, in a series of leaps, each longer
than the last. It was a strange sight, this great white
body flying through the air, and turning somersault after
somersault, as if it had been a piece of wood. At last
it took one tremendous leap, and landed against
an enormous stone. There was a regular crash,
and there it lay close beside me ; a few spasms
passed through it, and all was over. It was an
uncommonly large he-bear, with a beautiful thick fur,
which one might well wish to have at home ; but the
best thing of all w^as that it was very fat. It was so
windy that the gusts were apt to blow you over, if
you were not prepared for them ; but with the air so
mild as it was, wind did not matter much ; it would
not have been such bad w^ork to skin it, had it not
been that it was lying in a hollow, and was so big that
one man could not stir it. After a time, however,
Johansen came, and at last we had got it dismembered,
and had dragged it down to the ice, and piled it on
the sledge. We had not gone far, however, before
we found that it would be too heavy for us to draw
all at once against this wind, and for such a distance.
We laid half of it in a heap on the ice, and spread
the skin over it, intending to fetch it in a day or two ;
and even then we had difficulty enough in fighting on
against the wind, in the dark, so that it was late at
night before we got home. But it w^as long since we
4IO Chapter VIII.
had so much enjoyed our homecoming, and being able
to lie down in our bag, and sup off fresh meat and
hot soup."
We lived on that bear for six weeks.
" When Johansen was out this morning at 6, he
thought he saw little auks in millions flying up the
sound. When we went out at 2 in the afternoon ;
there was an unceasing passage of flock after flock out
to sea, and this continued until late in the afternoon. I
saw two guillemots {Uria grylle), too, fly over our
heads. They are the first we have seen."^
"Wednesday, March 25th. There is the same dark
water-sky behind the promontory in the south-west,
stretching thence westwards almost to the extreme west.
It has been there all through this mild weather with
south-westerly wind, from the very beginning of the
month. There seems to be always open water there, for
no sooner is the sky overcast, then the reflection of
water appears in that quarter."
"Thursday, April 2nd. As I awoke at about
8 this evening (our morning happened to fall in the
evening to-day), we heard an animal rustling about out-
side, and gnawing at something. We did not take much
■^ We had now, as the spring advanced, a good opportunity of seeing
how the Httle auk in great flocks and the black guillemots in smaller
numbers, invariably set forth from land at certain times of the day
towards the open sea, and then at other times returned in unbroken lines
up the ice-bound fjords to their nest-rocks again.
The New Year, 1896. 411
notice of it, thinking it was a fox, busy as usual with
some meat up on the roof ; and if it did seem to be
making rather more noise than we had of late been
accustomed to hear from foxes, yet it was scarcely noise
enough to come from a bear. We did not take into
consideration that the snow was not so cold and
crackling now as it had been earlier in the winter.
When Johansen went out to read the thermometer, he
saw that it was a bear that had been there. It had gone
round the hut, but had evidently not liked all the bears'
carcases, and had not ventured past them up to the
walrus blubber on the roof. At the opening of the
passage and the chimney it had sniffed hard, doubtless
enjoying the delicious scent of burnt blubber and live
human flesh. Then it had dragged a walrus-hide,
that was lying outside, a little way off, and scraped
the blubber off it. It had come from the ice obliquely
up the hill following the scent, had then followed our
footsteps from the hut to the place where we get salt
water, and had thence gone farther out over the ice
until it had got scent of the walrus-carcases out there, and
was going towards them when Johansen caught sight of
it. There it set to work to gnaw. As my gun was not fit
to use at the moment, I took Johansen's and went alone.
The bear was so busy gnawing and tearing pieces off
the carcase that I could get close up to it from behind
without troubling about cover. Wishing to try how
near I could get, I went on, and it was not until I was
412 Chapter VIII.
so near that I could almost touch it with the muzzle of
my gun that it heard my steps, so busy had it been. It
started round, gazed defiantly and astonished at me, and
I saluted it with a charge right in its face. It threw up
its head, sneezed, and blew blood out over the snow,
as it turned round again and galloped away. I
was going to load again, but the cartridge jammed,
and it was only by using my knife that I got it
out. While I was doing this, the bear had bethought
himself, stopped, turned towards me, and snorted angrily,
as he made up his mind to set upon me. He then went
up on to a piece of ice close by, placed himself in an
attitude of defence, and stretched out his neck towards
me, while the blood poured from his mouth and nostrils.
The ball had gone right through his head, but without
touching the brain. At last I had put another cartridge
in, but had to give him hve shots before I finally killed
him. At each shot he fell, but got up again. I was not
accustomed to the sights on Johansen's gun, and shot
rather too high with it. At last I grew angry, rushed up
to him, and finished him off."
We were beginning to be well supplied with blubber
and meat for the journey south, and were now
busy fitting ourselves out. And there was a great
deal to be done. We had to begin to make ourselves
new^ clothes out of our blankets ; our wind-clothes
had to be patched and mended; our ''komager" had
to be soled, and we had to make socks and gloves out of
The New Year, 1896. 413
bear-skin. Then we had to make a Hght, good sleeping-
baof of bear-skin. All this would take time ; and from
this time we worked industriously at our needle from
early morning till late at night. Our hut was suddenly
transformed into a busy tailor's and shoemaker's work-
room, where we sat side by side in the sleeping-bag
u]3on the stone-bed, and sewed and sewed and thought
about the home-coming. We got thread by unravelling
the cotton canvas of some provision bags. It need
hardly be said that we were always talking about the
prospects for our journey, and we found great comfort in
the persistence of the dark sky in the south-west, which
indicated much open water in that direction. I conse-
quently thought we should have good use for our kayaks
on the journey to Spitzbergen. I mention this open
water several times in my journal For instance, on
April i2th : "open water from the promontory in the
south-west, northwards as far as we can see." By
this I mean, of course, that there was dark air over
the whole horizon in this direction, showing clearly
that there was open water there. This could not
really surprise us ; indeed, we ought to have been
prepared for it, since Payer had found open water in
the middle of April at a more northerly point on the
west coast of Crown- Prince Rudolf Land ; and this
had been continually in my thoughts all through the
winter.
Another thinor which made us believe in the close
414 Chapter VIII.
vicinit}^ of the sea, was that we were daily visited by-
ivory gulls and fulmars [Procelaria glacialis\ sometimes
skuas also. We saw the first ivory gulls on March
1 2th ; throughout April they became more and more
numerous, and soon we had plenty both of them and
of the burgomasters [Lams glaucus) sitting on our roof
and round the hut, and drumming and pecking at the
bones and remains of bears they found there. During the
winter the continual gnawing of the foxes at the meat up
there, had entertained us and reminded us that we were
not quite forsaken by living things ; when half asleep we
could often imagine that we were in our beds at home,
and heard the rats and mice holding their revels in the
attic above us. With the coming of daylight, the foxes
vanished. They now found plenty of little auks up
in the clefts of the mountains and had no lono-er to
depend on our stone-hard frozen bear-meat. But now we
had the drumming of the gulls instead ; but they did not
call up the same illusions, and, when we had them on
the roof just over our heads, were often very tiresome,
and even disturbed our sleep, so that we had to knock
on the roof, or go out and frighten them away, which,
however, had the desired effect only for a few minutes.
On the 1 8th of April, while I was at work on some
solar time observations, I happened to look up, and was
surprised to see a bear standing just opposite to me
down on the ice by the shore. It must have been
standing there a long time, wondering what I was about.
The New Year, 1896. 415
I ran to the hut for a gun ; but when I returned it took
to its heels, and I was not eager to follow it.
"Sunday, April 19th. I was awakened at 7 o'clock
this morning by the heavy steps of a bear outside. I
wakened Johansen, who struck a light, and I got on my
trousers and ' komager ' and crept out with loaded gun.
During the night a great deal of snow had, as usual,
drifted over the skin that covered the opening, and
was difficult to break through. At last by kicking
with all my might from below, I managed to knock
the snow off, and put my head out into the daylight,
which was quite dazzling after the darkness down
in the hut. I saw nothing, but knew that the bear
must be standing just behind the hut. Then I
heard a snorting and blowing, and off went the brute
in a clumsy bear's-gallop up the slope. I did not know
whether to shoot or not, and to tell the truth I had
little inclination for bear-skinning in this bitter weather ;
but half at random, I sent a shot after it, which of
course missed, and I was not sorry. I did not shoot
again ; the one shot was enough to frighten it, and
keep it from coming again for the present ; we did
not want it, if only it would leave our things in peace.
, At the cleft to the north it looked back, and then went
on. As usual it had come against the wind, and must
have scented us far west upon the ice. It had made
several tacks to leeward to us, had been at the
entrance of the hut, where it had left a visiting-card,
41 6 Chapter VIII.
and had then gone straight to a mound at the back
of us, where there is some walrus blubber, surrounded
on all sides by bears' carcases. These had no terrors
for it. The bear-skin which covered it, it had dragged
a long way, but fortunately it had not succeeded in
getting anything eaten before I came."
"Sunday, May 3rd. When Johansen came in this
morning, he said he had seen a bear out on the ice ; it
was coming in. He went out a little later to look for it,
but did not see it ; it had probably gone into the bay to the
north. We expected a visit from it, however, as the wind
was that way ; and as we sat later in the day, sewing as
hard as we could sew, we heard heavy footsteps on the
snow outside. They stopped, went backwards and
forwards a little, and then something was drawn along,
and all was quiet. Johansen crept cautiously out with
his gun. When he put his head out of the hole, and his
eyes had recovered from the first dazzling effects of the
daylight, he saw the bear standing gnawing at a bear-skin.
A bullet through the head killed it on the spot. It was
a lean little animal, but worth taking, inasmuch as it
saved us the trouble of thawing up carcases, in order to
cut provisions for our journey off them. Frozen stiff as
they now are, we cannot cut them up outside in the cold,
but have to bring them into the hut, and soften them in
the warmth, before we can cut anything off them, and
this takes time. Two bears were here on a visit last
night, but they turned back again at the sledge, which
JOHANSEN SITTING IN THE SLEEPING BAG IN THE HUT.
The New Year, 1896. 417
is stuck up on end In the moraine to the west of us, to
serve as a stand for our thermometer."
As we were breakfasting on May 9th, we again heard
a bear's footstep outside, and being afraid that it was
going to eat up our blubber, we had no other resource
than to shoot it. We now had far more meat than we
required, and did not care to use more cartridges
on these animals for the present ; but what grieved
us most was the thought of all the beautiful
bear-skins which we should leave behind us. The
time was now drawing near when we should break up
our camp, and we worked eagerly at our preparations.
Our clothes were now ready. The entry for Tuesday
May 1 2th, runs thus: "Took leave to-day of my
old trousers. I was quite sad at the thought of the
good service they had done ; but they are now so
heavy with oil and dirt that they must be several times
their original weight, and, if they were squeezed, oil
would ooze out of them." It was undeniably pleasant
to put on the new, light, soft trousers of blanket, which
were, to some extent, free from grease. As, however,
this material was loose in texture, I was afraid it might
wear out before we reached Spitzbergen, and we had
therefore strengthened it both inside and outside with
pieces of an old pair of drawers, and of a shirt, to
protect it from wear.
While I was taking some observations outside the hut
on Saturday, May i6th, I saw a bear with quite a small
VOL. II. 2 E
4i8 Chapter VIII.
young one out on the ice. I had just taken a turn out
there, and they were examining my tracks. The mother
went first, going up on to all the hummocks I had been
upon, turning round and snuffing, and looking at the
tracks, and then descending again, and going on. The
tiny young one trotted along behind, exactly repeating
the movements of its mother. At last. they grew tired
of this, and turned their steps towards the shore,
disappearing behind the promontory to the north of us.
Shortly after Johansen came out, and I told him about
it, and said : "I expect we shall soon see them in the
cleft up there, as the wind is that way." I had scarcely
said it, when, looking across, we saw them both
standing, stretching their necks, snuffing and looking at
us and the hut. We did not want to shoot them, as
we had abundance of food ; but we thought it would
be amusing to go nearer and watch them, and then, if
possible, frighten them sufficiently to keep them from
visiting us in the night, so that we could sleep in peace. ;
When we approached, the mother snorted angrily, turned
several times as if to go, pushing the young one on first,
but turned back again to observe us more closely. At
last they jogged slowly off, continually hesitating and
looking back. When they got down to the shore, they
again went quite slowly among the hummocks, and I ran
after them. The mother went first, the young one trotting]
after exactly in her footsteps. I was soon close to them,
the mother saw me, started, and tried to get the young i
The New Year, 1896. 419
one to go with her ; but I now discovered that It could
run no faster than I could follow It. As soon as the
mother saw this, she turned round, snorted and came
storming right at me. I halted, and prepared to shoot,
In case she should come too near, and In the meantime
the little one tramped on as fast as it could. The mother
halted at the distance of a few paces from me, snorted and
hissed again, looked round at the young one, and when
the latter had got a good way on, trotted after it. I ran
on again, and overtook the young one, and again the
mother went through the same manoeuvres ; she seemed
to have the greatest possible desire to strike me to the
earth, but then the young one had again got ahead a
little, and she did not wait to do It but trotted after.
This was repeated several times, and then they began
to clamber up the glacier, the mother in front, the
young one after. But the latter did not get on very
fast ; it trudged along as well as it could in its mother's
footprints in the deep snow ; it reminded me exactly
of a child in trousers, as it clambered up and kept
looking round, half frightened, half curious. It was
touching to see how Incessantly the mother turned
round to hasten it on, now and then jogging it with
her head, hissing and snorting all the while at me
standing quietly below and looking on. When they
reached the crest the mother stopped and hissed worse
than ever, and when she had let the young one pass her,
2 E 2
420 Chapter VIII.
they both disappeared over the glacier, and I went
back to continue my work.
For the last few weeks a feverish activity had
reigned in our hut. We had become more and more
impatient to make a start ; but there was still a great
deal to be done. We realised in bitter earnest that we
had no longer the Frains stores to fall back upon. On
board the Fi^am there might be one or two things
lacking ; but here we lacked practically everything.
What would we not have given even for a single
box of dog-biscuits — for ourselves — out of the Frams
abundance .^ Where were we to find all that we needed ?
" For a sledge expedition, one must lay in light and
nourishing provisions, which at the same time afford as
much variety as possible ; one must have light and warm
clothing, strong and practical sledges," etc., etc, — we
knew by heart all these maxims of the Arctic text-book.
The journey that lay before us, indeed, was not a very
great one ; the thing was simply to reach Spitzbergen
and get on board the sloop ; but it was long enough
after all to make it necessary for us to take certain
measures of precaution.
When we dug up the stores which we had buried at
the beginning of the winter, and opened the bags,
we found that there were some miserable remains
of a commissariat which had once, indeed, been
good, but was now for the most part mouldy and
spoilt by the damp of the previous autumn. Our
I
The New Year, 1896. 421
flour, our precious flour, had got mildewed, and had to
be thrown away. The chocolate had been dissolved by
the damp, and no longer existed ; and the pemmican —
well — it had a strange appearance, and when we tasted
it — ugh ! It too had to be thrown away. There
remained a certain quantity of fish-flour, some aleu-
ronate flour, and some damp half-moulded bread, which
we carefully boiled in train-oil, partly to dry it, as all
damp was expelled by the boiling oil, partly to render it
more nutritious by impregnating it with fat. We
thought it tasted delightful, and preserved it carefully
for festal occasions, and times when all other food failed
us. Had we been able to dry bear's flesh, we should
have managed very well ; but the weather was too raw
and cold, and the strips of flesh we hung up became only
half dry. There was nothing for it but to lay in a store
of as much cut-up raw flesh and blubber as we could
carry with us. Then we filled the three tin boxes that
had held our petroleum with train-oil, which we used as
fuel. For cooking on the journey we would use the pot
belonging to our cooking apparatus ; and our lamp we
used as a brazier in which to burn blubber and train-oil
together. These provisions and this fuel did not con-
stitute a particularly light equipment ; but it had this
advantage that we should probably be able to replace
what we consumed of it by the way. It was to be hoped
that we should find plenty of game.
Our short sledges were a greater trouble to us, for of
422 Chapter VIII.
course we could not get them lengthened now. If we
failed to find open water all the way over to Spitzbergen,
and were compelled to drag them over the uneven drift-
ice, we could scarcely imagine how we should get on
with the kayaks lying on these short sledges, without
getting them knocked to pieces on hummocks and
pressure-ridges ; for the kayaks were supported only
at the middle, while both ends projected far beyond
the sledge, and at the slightest inequality these
ends hacked against the ice, and scraped holes in the
sail-cloth. We had to protect them well by lashing bear-
skins under them ; and then we had to make the best
grips we could contrive out of the scanty wood we had, to
dx on the sledges. This was no easy matter, for the
great point was to make the grips high in order to raise
the kayaks as much as possible, and keep them clear of
the ice ; and then they had to be well lashed in order to
keep their places. But we had no cord to lash them
with, and had to make it for ourselves of raw bear-skin or
walrus-hide, which is not the best possible material for
lashings. This difficulty, too, we overcame, and got our
kayaks to lie steadily and well. We of course laid the
heaviest part of their cargo as much as possible in the
middle, so that the ends should not be broken down by
the weight. Our own personal equipment was quite as
difficult to get in order. I have mentioned that we made
ourselves new clothes, and this took a long time with
two such mexpert tailors ; but practice made us gradually
The New Year, 1896. 423
more skilful, and I think we had good reason to be
proud of the results we finally achieved. When we at
last put them on, the clothes had quite an imposing
appearance — so we thought at any rate. We saved
them up and kept them hanging as long as possible, in
order that they might still be new when we started.
Johansen, I believe, did not wear his new coat before we
fell in with other people. He declared he must keep it
fresh till we arrived in Norway ; he could not go about
like a pirate when he got among his countrymen again.
The poor remains of underclothes that we possessed had
of course to be thoroughly washed before we started, so
that it should be possible to move in them without their
rasping too many holes in our skin. The washing we
accomplished as above described. Our foot-gear was in
anything but a satisfactory condition. Socks, indeed, we
could make of bear-skin ; but the worst of it was that the
soles of our ''komager" were almost worn out. We
managed, however, to make soles of a sort out of walrus
hide, by scraping about half its thickness away, and then
drying it over the lamp. With these soles we mended our
'' komager " after the fashion of the Finns ; we had plenty
of '' senne " thread (sedge thread), and we managed to
get our komagers pretty well water-tight again. Thus
in spite of everything we were tolerably well off for
clothes, though it cannot be said that those we had were
remarkable for their cleanliness. To protect us against
wind and rain we had still our wind-clothes, which we
424 Chapter VIII.
had patched and stitched together as well as we could ;
but it took a terrible time, for the whole garments now
consisted of scarcely anything else but patches and
seams, and when you had sewn up a hole at one place,
they split at another the next time you put them on.
The sleeves were particularly bad, and at last I tore
both sleeves off my jacket, so that I should not
have the annoyance of seeing them perpetually stripped
away.
It was very desirable, too, that we should have a toler-
ably light sleeping-bag. The one we had brought with
us no longer existed, as we had made clothes out of
the blankets ; so the only thing was to try and make as
light a bag as possible out of bear-skin. By picking
out the thinnest skins we possessed, we managed to
make one not so much heavier than the reindeer-skin
bag which we had taken with us on leaving the Fram.
A greater difficulty was to procure a practicable tent.
The one we had had was out of the question. It had been
worn and torn to pieces on our five months' journey of
the year before, and what was left of it the foxes had
made an end of, as we had had it lying spread over our
meat and blubber heap in the autumn to protect it
against the gulls. The foxes had gnawed and torn it in
all directions, and had carried off great strips of it which
we found scattered around. We speculated a great deal
as to how we could make ourselves a new tent. The
only thing we could think of was to put our sledges
I
The New Year, 1896. 425
with the kayaks upon them, parallel to each other at the
distance of about a man's height, then pile snow around
them at the sides until they were closed in, lay our snow-
shoes and bamboo staffs across, and then spread our two
sails, laced together, over the whole, so that they should
reach the ground on both sides. In this way we
managed to make ourselves a quite effective shelter, the
kayaks forming the roof ridges, and the sails the side
walls of the tent. It was not quite impervious to
drifting snow, and we had usually a good deal of trouble
in stopping up cracks and openings with our wind-clothes
and things of that sort.
But the most important part of our equipment was,
after all, our firearms, and these, fortunately, we had
kept in tolerably good order. We cleaned the rifles
thoroughly and rubbed them with train-oil. We had
also a little vaseline and gun-oil left for the locks. On
taking stock of our ammunition, we found to our joy
that we still had about 100 rifle cartridges and no small
shot cartridges. We had thus, enough, if necessary, for
several more winters.
CHAPTER IX.
The Journey Southwards.
At last, on Tuesday, May 19th, we were ready for the
start. Our sledges stood loaded and lashed. The last
thing we did was to photograph our hut both outside
and inside, and to leave in it a short report of our
journey. It ran thus : —
''Tuesday, May 19th, 1896. We were frozen in
north of Kotelnoi at about j^"" 43' N. lat., September
22nd, 1893. Drifted north-w^estward during the follow-
ing year, as we had expected to do. Johansen and I left
the Fra7n, March 14th, 1895, at about 84° 4' N. lat.
and 103° E. long.,'" to push on northward. The com-
mand of the remainder of the expedition was transferred
to Sverdrup. Found no land northwards. On April 6th,
1895, we had to turn back at 86° 14' N. lat., and about
95° E. long., the ice having become impassable. Shaped
our course for Cape Fligely ; but our watches having
stopped, we did not know our longitude with certainty,
* This was a slip of the pen ; it ought to be 102° E. long.
"^
m
' :m
< *;
< s
O
The Journey Southwards. 427
and arrived on August 6th, 1895, at four glacier-covered
islands to the north of this line of islands, at about
81° 30' N. lat., and about 7° E. of this place. Reached
this place August 26th, 1895, and thought it safest to
winter here. Lived on bears' flesh. Are starting to-day
south-westward along the land, intending to cross over
to Spitzbergen at the nearest point. We conjecture that
we are on Gillies Land.
*' Fridtjof Nansen."
This earliest report of our journey was deposited in a
brass tube which had formed the cylinder of the air-
pump of our " Primus." The tube was closed with a
plug of wood and hung by a wire to the roof-tree of
the hut.
At length, on Tuesday, the 19th May, we were
ready, and at 7 p.m. left our winter lair, and began
our journey south. After having had so little exercise
all the winter, we were not much disposed for w^alking,
and thought our sledges with the loaded kayaks heavy
to pull along. In order not to do too much at first, but
make our joints supple before we began to exert our-
selves seriously, we walked for only a few hours the first
day, and then, well satisfied, pitched our camp. There
was such a wonderfully happy feeling in knowing that
we were, at last, on the move, and that we were
actually going homewards.
The following day (Wednesday, May 20th) we also
428 Chapter IX.
did only a short day's march. We were making for the
promontory to the south-west of us that we had been
looking at all the winter. Judging from the sky, it was on
the further side of this headland that we should find open
water. We were very eager to see how the land lay ahead
"OUR WINTER LAIR."
of this point. If we were north of Cape Lofley, the
land must begin to trend to the south-east. If, on the
other hand, the trend of the coast was to the south-west,
then this must be a new land further west, and near
Gillies Land.
^*=~.
i
I
The Journey Southwards. 429
The next day (Thursday, May 21st) we reached this
promontory, and pitched our camp there. All through
the winter we had called it the Cape of Good Hope, as
we expected to find different conditions there, which
would facilitate our advance ; and our hopes w^ere not to
be disappointed. From the crest of the mountain I saw-
open water not far off to the south, and also two new
snow-lands, one large one in front (in the south, 40° W.),
and one not much smaller in the west (S. 85° W.). It was
completely covered with glacier, and looked like an evenly
vaulted shield. I could not see clearly how the coast
ran on account of a headland to the southward. But it
did not seem to trend to the south-east, so that we could
not be near Cape Lofiey. We now hoped that we might
be able to launch our kayaks the very next day, and that
we should then make rapid progress in a south-westerly
direction ; but in this we were disappointed. The next
day there was a snowstorm, and we had to stay where we
were. As I lay in the bag in the morning, preparing
breakfast, I all at once caught sight of a bear walking
quietly past us at a distance of about twenty paces.
It looked at us and our kayaks once or twice, but could
not quite make out what we were, as the wind was in
another direction and it could not get scent of us, so it
continued its way. I let it go unharmed ; we still had
food enough.
On Saturday, May 23rd, the weather was still bad, but
we went ahead a little way to examine our road onward.
430 Chapter IX.
The point to be found out was whether we ought at once
to make for the open water, that lay on the other side of
an island to the west, or whether we ought to travel
southwards upon the shore ice along the land. We
came to a headland consisting of uncommonly marked
columnar basalt, which on account of its peculiar form
we called the *' Castle."'"' We here saw that the land
stretched farther in a southerly direction, and that
the open water went the same way, only separated
from the land by a belt of shore ice. As the latter
appeared to be full of cracks, we decided to go over
to the island in the west, and put to sea as quickly
as possible. We therefore returned and made all
ready. Our preparations consisted first and foremost
in carefully caulking the seams of our kayaks by
melting stearine over them, and then re-stowing the
cargo so as to leave room for us to sit in them. The
following day (Sunday, May 24th) we moved on west-
wards towards the island, and as the wind was easterly,
and we were able to employ sails on the sledges, we got
on pretty quickly across the flat ice. As we approached
the island, however, a storm blew up from the south-west,
and after the sledges had upset several times, we were
obliged to take down our sails. The sky became over-
cast, the air grew misty, and we worked our way against
the strong wind in towards the land. The thing was
* Jackson's " Cape M'Clintock."
I
1
The Journey Southwards. 431
to get to land as quickly as possible, as we might
('vidently expect bad weather. But now the ice became
treacherous. As we approached the land there were a
number of cracks in every direction, and these were covered
with a layer of snow so that it was difficult to see them.
While Johansen was busy lashing the sail and mast
securely to the deck of his kayak, so that the wind
should not carry them away, I went on ahead as fast as I
could to look for a camping-ground, but all of a sudden
the ice sank beneath me, and I lay in the water in a
broad crack which had been concealed by the snow. I
tried to get out again, but with my snowshoes firmly
fastened it was not possible to get them through all the
rubble of snow and lumps of ice that had fallen into the
water on the top of them. In addition to this I was
fastened to the sledge by the harness so that I could not
turn round. Fortunately, in the act of falling, I had dug
my pike-staff into the ice on the opposite side of the crack,
and holding myself up by its aid and the one arm that I
had got above the edge of the ice, I lay waiting patiently
for Johansen to come and pull me out. I was sure he
must have seen me fall in, but could not turn enough
to look back. When I thought a long time had
passed, and I felt the staff giving way and the water
creeping further and further up my body, I began to call
out, but received no answer. I shouted louder for help,
and at last heard a ''Hullo!" far behind. After some
litde time, when the water was up to my chest, and
432 Chapter IX.
it would not have been long before I was right under,
Johansen came up, and I w.as pulled out. He had been
so occupied with his sledge that he had not noticed that
I was in the water, until. the last time I called. This
experience had the effect of making me careful in the
future not to go on such deceitful ice with my snowshoes
firmly attached. By observing a little more caution, we
at length reached the land, and fqund a camping-place
where there was a certain amount of shelter. To our
surprise we discovered a number of walruses lying along
the shore here,' herd upon herd, beside the cracks; but
we took no notice of them either, for the present; we
thought we -. still \had a sufficient supply of food and
blubber to draw upon;.
During the - succeeding days, the storm raged, and
we could not rhove. The entry for Tuesday, May 26th,
is as follows: "We. have lain weatherbound yesterday
and to-day beneath the glacier cliff on the north side of
this island. The snow is so wet that it will be difficult
to get any^yhere ; but it is to be hoped that the open
channel outside is not far off, and we shall get on quickly
there when once the storm abates. We shall then make
up Tor this long delay." But our stay was to be longer
than we "thought; On Thursday, May 28th, the journal
says: " We were up on the island yesterday, and saw
open sea to the south, but are still lying weather-bound
as before. I only riioyed our tent-place a little on account
of the cracks ; the ice threatened to open just beneath
:\i
The Journey Southwards. 433
us. There are a great many walruses here. When we
go out over the ice, the fellows follow us and come up in
the cracks beside us. We can often hear them grunting
as they go, and butting at the ice under our feet."
That day, however, the storm so far abated that we
were able to move southwards along the east side of the
island. On the way we passed a large open pool in
the shore ice between this island and the land. It must
have been shallow here, for there was a strong current,
which was probably the cause of this pool being kept
open. We passed two or three herds of walruses lying
on the ice near it. Concerning these, I wrote that
evening : ** I went up to one herd of about nine to take
photographs of the animals. I went close up to them
behind a little mound, and they did not see me ; but
directly I rose up not more than 20 feet away from them
a female with her young one plunged into the water
through a hole close by. I could not get the others to
stir, however much I shouted. Johansen now joined
me, and, although he threw lumps of snow and ice
at them, they would not move ; they only struck their
tusks into the lumps, and snuffed at them, while I kept
on photographing them. When I went right up to
them, most of them at last got up and floundered away
towards the hole, and one plunged in ; but the others
stopped and composed themselves to sleep again. Soon,
too, the one that had first disappeared came back and
crept on to the ice. The two that lay nearest to me never
VOL. II. 2 F
434 Chapter IX.
stirred at all. ; they raised their heads a little once or
twice, looked contemptuously at me as I stood three
paces from them, laid their heads down and went to
sleep again. They barely moved when I pricked them
in the snout with my pike-staff, but I was able to get
a pretty good photograph of them. I thought I now
had enough, but before I went I gave the nearest one a
parting poke in the snout with my pike-staff; it got
right up, grunted discontentedly, looked in astonishment
at me with its great round eyes, and then quietly
began to scratch the back of its head, and I got another
photograph, whereupon it again lay quietly down.
When we went on, they all immediately settled them-
selves again, and were lying like immovable masses of
flesh when we finally rounded the promontory, and lost
sight of them."
Once more we had snow-storms, and now lay weather-
bound on the south side of the island.
'' Friday, May 29th. Lying weather-bound.
" Saturday, May 30th. Lying weather-bound, stop-
ping up the tent against the driving snow, while the wind
flits round us, attacking first one side and then another."
It was all we could do to keep ourselves tolerably dry
during this time, with the snow drifting in through the
cracks on all sides, on us and our bag, melting and
saturating everything.
" Monday, June ist. Yesterday it at last grew a little
calmer, and cleared up so that we had bright sunshine in
The Journey Southwards. 435
the evening. We rejoiced in the thought of moving on,
got our kayaks and everything ready to launch, and
crept into our bag to turn out early this morning for a
fine day, as we thought. The only thing that made it a
little doubtful was, that the barometer had ceased rising,
had fallen again i millim., in fact. In the night the storm
came on again, — the same driving snow, only with this
difference, that now the wind is going round the compass
luith the sun, so there must soon be an end of it. This
is beginning to be too much of a good thing ; I am now
seriously afraid that the Fram will get home before us.
I went for a walk inland yesterday. There were flat
clay and gravel stretches everywhere. I saw numerous
traces of geese, and in one place some white egg-shell,
undoubtedly belonging to a goose's ^"g^^ We therefore
called the island Goose Island.^
'' Tuesday, June 2nd. Still lay weather-bound last
night, and to-day it has been windier than ever.
But now, towards evening, it has begun to abate a
little, with a brightening sky, and sunshine now and
again, so we hope that there will really be a change
for the better. Here we lie in a hollow in the snow,
getting wetter and wetter, and thinking that it is June
already, and everything looks beautiful at home, while we
have got no farther than this. But it cannot be much
■^ Jackson, who saw it in the spring of 1895, called it Mary Elizabeth
Island.
2 F 2
43^ Chapter IX.
longer before we are there. Oh, it is too much to think
of! If only I could be sure about the Fram ! If she
arrives before us, ah, what will those poor waiting ones
do!"
At length on Wednesday, June 3rd, we went on,
but now the west wind had driven the ice landwards,
so that there was no longer open sea to travel south
upon, and there was nothing for it but to go over the ice
alons: the land. However the wind was from the north
and we could put up a sail on our sledges, and thus get
along pretty fast. We still saw several walruses on the
ice, and there were also some in the water that were
continually putting their heads up in the cracks and
grunting after us. The ice we were crossing here was
remarkably thin and bad, and as we got farther south it
became even worse. It was so weighed down with the
masses of snow that lay upon it, that there was water
beneath the snow wherever we turned. We had to
make towards land as quickly as possible, as it looked
still worse farther south. By going on snow-shoes,
however, we kept fairly well on the top of the snow,
though often both sledge and snow-shoes sank down
into the water below, and stuck fast ; and no little
trouble would be spent in getting everything safely on
to firmer ice again. At last, however, we got in
under a high, perpendicular basaltic cliff, "^ which swarmed
■^ Jackson's " Cape Fisher."
The Journey Southwards. 437
with auks. This was the first time we had seen these
birds in any great quantity ; hitherto we had only seen
one or two singly. We took it as a sign that we
were approaching better known regions. Alongside
of it, to the south-east, there was a small rocky knoll,
where numbers of fulmar {Procelaria glacialis) seemed
to be breeding. Our supply of food was now getting
very low, and we had been hoping for a visit from some
bear or other ; but now that we needed them, they
of course kept away. We then determined to shoot
birds, but the auks flew too high, and all we got
was a couple of fulmars. As we just then passed a
herd of walruses, we determined to take some of this
despised food, and we shot one of them, killing it
on the spot. At the report the others raised their
heads a little, but only to let them fall again, and went on
sleeping. To get our prize skinned with these brutes
lying round us was not to be thought of, and we must
drive them into the water in some way or other. This
was no easy matter, however. We went up to them,
shouted and hallooed, but they only looked at us lazily,
and did not move. Then we hit them with snowshoe-
staves ; they became angry, and struck their tusks into
the ice until the chips flew, but still would not move.
At last, however, by continuing to poke and beat, we
drove the whole herd Into the water, but it was
not quick work. In stately, dignified procession
they drew back, and shambled slowly off, one after
43^ Chapter IX.
the other, to the water s edge. Here they again looked
round at us, grunted discontentedly, and then plunged
into the water one by one. But while we were cutting
up their comrade, they kept coming up again in the
crack beside us, grunting and creeping half up on to
the ice, as if to demand an explanation of our conduct.
After having supplied ourselves with as much meat and
blubber as we thought we needed for the moment, as well
as a quantity of blood, we pitched our tent close by and
boiled a good mess of blood-porridge, which consisted
of a wonderful mixture of blood, powdered fish, Indian
meal, and blubber. We still had a good wind, and
sailed away merrily with our sledges all night. When
we got to the promontory to the south of us, we came
to open water, which here ran right up to the edge of
the glacier-covered land ; and all we had to do was to
launch our kayaks, and set off along by the glacier
cliff, in open sea for the first time this year. It
was strange to be using paddles again, and to
see the water swarming with birds, auks, and little
auks and kitti wakes all round. The land was covered
with glacier, the basaltic rock only projecting in one or
two places. There were moraines, too, in several places
on the glaciers. We were not a little surprised, after
going some way, when we discovered a flock of eider-
ducks on the water. A little later we saw two geese
sitting on the shore, and felt as if we had come into quite
civilised regions again. After a couple of hours' paddling
The Journey Southwards. 439
our progress south was stopped by shore-Ice, while the
open water extended due west towards some land we had
previously seen In that direction, but which was now
covered by mist. We were very much In doubt as to
which way to choose, whether to go on In the open
water westwards — which must take us towards Spltz-
bergen — or to leave It and again take to our sledges
over the smooth shore-Ice to the south. Although the
air was thick, and we could not see far, we felt convinced
that by going over the ice, we should at last reach open
water on the south side of these islands among which we
were. Perhaps we might there find a shorter route to
Spitzbergen. In the meantime morning was far
advanced (June 5th), and we pitched our camp well-
pleased at having got so far south. "^
As it was still so hazy the following day (Saturday,
June 6th) that we could not see any more of our
surroundings than before, and as there was a strong
north wind, which would be Inconvenient In crossing the
open sea westwards, we determined on going southwards
over the shore-ice. We were once more able to use a
sail on our sledges, and we got on better than ever.
We often went along without any exertion ; we could
stand on our snow-shoes, each In front of our sledge,
* This was on the south side of Jackson's " Cape Richthofen,"
the most northerly point which Jackson had reached earHer the same
spring.
440 Chapter IX.
holding the steering-pole (a bamboo cane bound firmly
to the stem of the kayaks), and letting the wind carry us
along. In the gusts we often went along like feathers,
at other times we had to pull a little ourselves. We
made good progress, and kept on until far on Into the
night, as we wanted to make as much use of the wind as
possible. We crossed right over the broad sound we
had had In front of us, and did not stop until we were
able to pitch our camp by an island on Its southern side.
Next evening (Sunday, June 7th) we went on again
still southwards before the same northerly wind, and we
could sail well. We had hoped to be able to reach the
land before we again pitched our camp, but it was further
than we had thought, and at last when morning (Monday,
June 8th) was far advanced, we had to stop in the middle
of the ice in a furious storm. The numerous islands
among which we now were, seemed more and more
mysterious to us. I find in my journal for that day :
'* Are continually discovering new islands or lands to the
south. There is one great land of snow beyond us In
the west, and it seems to extend southwards a long
way." This snow-land seemed to us extremely
mysterious ; we had not yet discovered a single dark
patch upon It, only snow and ice everywhere. We
had no clear idea of its extent, as we had only
caught glimpses of it now and then, when the
mist lifted a little. It seemed to be quite low, but
we thought that it must be of a wider extent than any of
\.
o C
13 <a
The Journey Southwards. 441
the lands we had hitherto travelled alone. To the east
we found island upon island, and sounds and fjords the
whole way along. We mapped it all as well as we could,
but this did not help us to find out where w^e were ; they
seemed to be only a crowd of small islands, and, every
now and then, a view of what we took to be the ocean to
the east, opened up between them.
The ice over which we were now travelling was
remarkably different from that which we had had farther
north, near our winter-hut ; it was considerably thinner,
and covered, too, with very thick snow, so that it was
not in a good condition for travelling over. When,
therefore, the following day (Tuesday, June 9th) it also
began to stick in lumps to our snowshoes and the sledge-
runners, they both worked rather heavily ; but the wind
was still favourable, and we sailed along well notwith-
standing. As we were sailing full speed, flying before
the wind, and had almost reached the land, Johansen
and his sledge suddenly sank down, and it was with diffi-
culty that he managed to back himself and his things
against the wind and on to the firmer ice. As I was
rushing along, I saw that the snow in front of me had a
suspiciously wet colour, and my snowshoes began to cut
through ; but fortunately I still had time to luff before any
further misfortune occurred. We had to take down our
sails, and make a long detour westwards, before we could
continue our sail. Next day, also, the snow clogged, but
the wind had freshened, and we sailed better than ever.
442 Chapter IX.
As the land to the east'^ now appeared to trend to the
south-east, we steered for the southernmost point of a
land to the south- west.f It began to be more and
more excituig. We thought we must have covered
about 14 miles that day, and reckoned that we must
be in 80° 8' N. lat., and we still had land in the south.
If it continued far in that direction, it was certain
that we could not be on Franz Josef Land (as I still
thought might be the case) ; but we could not see far in
this hazy atmosphere, and then it was remarkable that the
coast on the east began to run in an easterly direction.
I thought it might agree with Leigh- Smith's map of
Markham Sound. In that case we must have come south
through a sound which neither he nor Payer could
have seen, and we were therefore not so far out of our
longitude after all. But no ! in our journey southward
we could not possibly have passed right across Payer's
Dove Glacier and his various islands and lands without
having seen them. There must still be a land farther
west of this between Franz Josef Land and Spitz-
bergen ; Payer's map could not be altogether wrong.
I wanted to reach the land in the south-west, but had to
stop on the ice ; it was too far.
'' Our provisions are getting low ; we have a little
meat for one more day, but there is no living thing to be
* It proved afterwards to be " Hooker Island."
f It proved fo be " Northbrook Island."
The Journey Southwards. 443
seen, not a seal on the ice, and no open water anywhere.
How long is this going on ? If we do not soon reach
open sea again, where there may be game to be had,
things will not look very pleasant."
''Tuesday, June i6th. The last few days have been
so eventful that there has been no time to write. I must
try to make up for lost time this beautiful morning, while
the sun is peeping in under the tent. The sea lies blue
and shining outside, and one can lie and fancy oneself
at home on a June morning."
On Friday, June 12th, we started again at 4 a.m.
with sails on our sledges. There had been frost, so
the snow was in much better condition again. It had
been very windy in the night, too, so we hoped for a
good day. On the preceding day it had cleared up so
that we could at last see distinctly the lands around. We
now discovered that we must steer in a more westerly
direction than we had done during the preceding
days, in order to reach the south point of the
land to the west. The lands to the east dis-
appeared eastwards, so we had said good - bye
to them the day before. We now saw, too, that
there was a broad sound in the land to the west,"^ and
that it was one entire land, as we had taken it to be.
The land north of this sound was now so far away, that
* The sound between Northbrook Island and Bruce Island on the
one side and Peter Head on Alexandra Land on the other side.
444 Chapter IX.
I could only just see It. In the meantime the wind had
dropped a good deal ; the ice, too, became more and
more uneven — it was evident that we had come to the
drift-ice, and it was much harder work than we had
expected. We could see by the air that there must be
open water to the south, and as we went on, we heard, to
our joy, the sound of breakers. At 6 a.m. we stopped to
rest a little, and on going up on to a hummock to take a
longitude observation I saw the water not far off. From
a higher piece of glacier ice we could see it better. It
extended towards the promontory to the south-west.
Even though the wind had become a little westerly now,
we still hoped to be able to sail along the edge of
the ice, and determined to go to the water by the
shortest way. We were quickly at the edge of the ice,
and once more saw the blue water spread out before
us. We soon had our kayaks lashed together, and
the sail up, and put to sea. Nor were our hopes
disappointed ; we sailed well all day long. At times the
wind was so strong that we cut through the water, and
the waves washed unpleasantly over our kayaks ; but we
got on, and we had to put up with being a little wet.
We soon passed the point we had been making for,"^ and
here we saw that the land ran westwards, that the
edge of the unbroken shore-ice extended in the same
direction, and that we had water in front of us. In good
* Cape Barents.
The Journey Southwards. 445
spirits, we sailed westwards along the margin of the ice.
So we were at last at the south of the land In which we
had been wandering for so long, and where we had spent
a long winter. It struck me more than ever that, In
spite of everything, this south coast would agree well
with Leigh Smith's map of Franz Josef Land and the
country surrounding their winter quarters ; but then I
remembered Payer's map, and dismissed the thought.
In the evening we put in to the edge of the ice, so
as to stretch our legs a little ; they were stiff with sitting
in the kayak all day, and we wanted to get a little view
over the water to the west, by ascending a hummock.
As we went ashore the question arose as to how we
should moor our precious vessel. " Take one of the
braces," said Johansen ; he was standing on the ice.
'' But is it strong enough ?'' '' Yes," he answered ;
'' I have used it as a halyard on my sledge-sail all the
time." '' Oh, well, it doesn't require much to hold these
light kayaks," said I, a little ashamed of having been
so timid, and I moored them with the halyard, which
was a strap cut from a raw walrus-hide. We had
been on the Ice a little while, moving up and down close
to the kayaks. The wind had dropped considerably, and
seemed to be more westerly, making it doubtful whether
we could make use of It any longer, and we went up
on to a hummock close by to ascertain this better. As we
stood there, Johansen suddenly cried : *T say! the kayaks
are adrift ! " We ran down as hard as we could. They
446 Chapter IX.
were already a little way out, and were drifting quickly off ;
the painter had given way. " Here, take my watch ! "
I said to Johansen, giving It to him ; and as quickly as
possible I threw off some clothing, so as to be able to
swim more easily : I did not dare to take everything off,
as I might so easily get cramp. I sprang into the water,
but the wind was off the Ice, and the light kayaks, with
their high rigging, gave it a good hold. They were
already well out, and were drifting rapidly. The
water was icy cold, It was hard work swimming
with clothes on, and the kayaks drifted farther and
farther, often quicker than I could swim. It seemed
more than doubtful whether I could manage It. But all
our hope was drifting there ; all we possessed was on
board ; we had not even a knife with us ; and whether I
got cramp and sank here, or turned back without the
kayaks, it would come to pretty much the same thing ;
so I exerted myself to the utmost When I got tired
I turned over, and swam on my back, and then
I could see Johansen walking restlessly up and down
on the Ice. Poor lad! He could not stand still, and
thought It dreadful not to be able to do anything. He
had not much hope that I could do it, but it would not
improve matters in the least if he threw himself into the
water too. He said afterwards that these were the
worst moments he had ever lived through. But when
I turned over again, and saw that I was nearer the
kayaks, my courage rose, and I redoubled my exertions.
The Journey Southwards. 447
I felt, however, that my Hmbs were gradually stiffening
and losing all feeling, and I knew that in a short time I
should not be able to move them. But there was not far
to go now ; if I could only hold out a little longer, we
should be saved — and I went on. The strokes became
more and more feeble, but the distance became shorter
and shorter, and I began to think I should reach the
kayaks. At last I was able to stretch out my hand
to the snowshoe, which lay across the sterns ; I grasped
it, pulled myself in to the edge of the kayak —
and we were saved. I tried to pull myself up,
but the whole of my body was so stiff with cold,
that this was an impossibility. For a moment I
thought that after all it was too late ; I was to get so
far, but not be able to get in. After a little, however, I
managed to swing one leg up on to the edge of the
sledge which lay on the deck, and in this way managed
to tumble up. There I sat, but so stiff with cold, that I
had difficulty in paddling. Nor was it easy to paddle in
the double vessel, where I first had to take one or two
strokes on one side, and then step into the other kayak
to take a few strokes on the other side. If I had been
able to separate them, and row in one while I towed the
other, it would have been easy enough ; but I could not
undertake that piece of work, for I should have been stiff
before it was done ; the thing to be done was to keep warm
by rowing as hard as I could. The cold had robbed my
whole body of feeling, but when the gusts of wind came
44^ Chapter IX.
they seemed to go right through me as I stood there
in my thin, wet woollen shirt. I shivered, my teeth
chattered, and I was numb almost all over; but I could
still use the paddle, and I should get warm when I got back
" I MANAGED TO SWING ONE LEG UP."
on to the Ice again. Two auks were lying close to
the bow, and the thought of having auk for supper
was too tempting ; we were In want of food now. I
got hold of my gun, and shot them with one discharge.
The Journey Southwards. 449
Johansensaid afterwards that he started at the report,
thinking some accident had happened, and could not
understand what I was about out there, but when he
saw me paddle and pick up two birds he thought I
had gone out of my mind. At last I managed to
reach the edge of the ice, but the current had driven
me a long way from our landing-place. Johansen
came along the edge of the ice, jumped into the
kayak beside me, and we soon got back to our
place. I was undeniably a good deal exhausted, and
could barely manage to crawl on land. I could scarcely
stand, and while I shook and trembled all over Johansen
had to pull off the wet things I had on, put on the few
dry ones I still had in reserve, and spread the sleeping-
bag out upon the ice. I packed myself well into it,
and he covered me with the sail and everything he
could find to keep out the cold air. There I lay
shivering for a long time, but gradually the warmth
began to return to my body. For some time longer,
however, my feet had no more feeling in them than
icicles, for they had been partly naked in the water.
While Johansen put up the tent and prepared supper,
consisting of my two auks, I fell asleep. He let me
sleep quietly, and when I awoke, supper had been
ready for some time, and stood simmering over the fire.
Auk and hot soup soon effaced the last traces of my
swim. During the night my clothes were hung out to
dry, and the next day were all nearly dry again.
VOL. II. 2 G
450 Chapter IX.
As the tidal current was strong here, and there was no
wind for sailing, we had to wait for the turn of the tide.
so as not to have the current against us ; and it was not
until late the following evening that we went on again.
We paddled and got on well until towards morning
(June 14th), when we came to some great herds of
walrus on the ice. Our supply of meat was exhausted
but for some auks we had shot, and we had not many
pieces of blubber left. We would rather have had a
bear, but as we had seen none lately, it was perhaps
best to supply ourselves here. We put in, and went
up to one herd behind a hummock. We preferred
young ones, as they were much easier to manipulate ;
and there were several here. I first shot one quite
small, and then another. The full-grown animals
started up at the first report, and looked round ; and
at the second shot the whole herd began to go into
the water. The mothers, however, would not leave
their dead young ones. One sniffed at its young one,
and pushed it, evidently unable to make out what
was the matter ; it only saw the blood spurting
from its head. It cried and wailed like a human
being. At last, when the herd began to plunge
in, the mother pushed her young one before her
towards the water. I now feared that I should lose
my booty, and ran forward to save it ; but she w^as too
quick for me. She took the young one by one fore-leg,
and disappeared with it like lightning into the depths.
The Journey Southwards. 451
The other mother did the same. I hardly knew how It
had all happened, and remained standing at the edge
looking down after them. I thought the young ones
must rise to the surface again, but there was nothing to
be seen ; they had disappeared for good ; the mothers
must have taken them a long way. I then went towards
another herd, where there were also young ones, and
shot one of them ; but, made wiser by experience, I shot
the mother too. It was a touching sight to see her bend
over her dead young one before she was shot, and even
In death she lay holding It with one fore-leg. So now
we had meat and blubber enough to last a long time, and
meat, too, that was delicious, for the side of young walrus
tastes like loin of mutton. To this we added a dozen
auks, so our larder was now well furnished with good
food ; and If we needed more, the water w^as full of auks
and other food, so there was no dearth.
The walruses here were Innumerable. The herds
that had been lying on the ice, and had now disappeared,
were large ; but there had been many more In the water
outside. It seemed to seethe with them on every side,
great and small ; and when I estimate their number to
have been at least 300, it Is certainly not over the
mark.
At 1.30 the next morning (Monday, June 15th)
we proceeded on our way In beautifully calm weather.
As walruses swarmed on all sides, we did not much
like paddling singly, and for some distance lashed
2 G 2
452 Chapter IX.
the kayaks together ; for we knew how obtrusive these
gentlemen could be. The day before they had come
pretty near, popped up close beside my kayak, and
several times followed us closely a long distance, but
without doing us any harm. I was inclined to think it
was curiosity, and that they were not really dangerous ;
but Johansen was not so sure of this. He thought we
had had experience to the contrary, and urged that at
any rate caution could do no harm. All day long
we saw herds, that often followed us a long way,
pressing in round the kayaks. We kept close to the
edge of the ice ; and if any came too near, we put in, if
possible, on an ice-foot."^ We also kept close together or
beside one another. We paddled past one large herd on
the ice, and could hear them a long way off lowing like
cows.
We glided quickly on along the coast, but unfortu-
nately a mist hung over it, so that it was often impossible
to determine whether they were channels or glaciers
between the dark patches which we could just distinguish
upon it. I wanted very much to have seen a little more of
this land. My suspicion that we were in the neighbour-
hood of the Leigh Smith winter quarters had become
^ The ice-foot is the part of a floe which often projects into the
water under the surface. It is formed through the thawing of the
upper part of the ice in the summer-time by the warmer surface layer
of the sea.
The Journey Southwards. 453
stronger than ever. Our latitude, as also the direction
of the coast-line and the situation of the islands and
sounds, seemed to agree far too well to admit of the possi-
bility of Imagining that another such group of islands
could lie in the short distance between Franz Josef Land
and Spltzbergen. Such a coincidence would be altogether
too remarkable. Moreover, we caught glimpses of land
In the far west which In that case could not lie far from
North-East Land. But Payer's map of the land north of
this ? Johansen maintained with reason that Payer
could not possibly have made such mistakes as we should
In that case be obliged to assume.
*' Towards morning we rowed for some time without
seeing any walrus, and now felt more secure. Just then
we saw a solitary rover pop up a little In front of us.
Johansen, who was In front at the time, put In to a sunken
ledge of Ice ; and although I really thought that this was
caution carried to excess, I was on the point of following
his example. I had not got so far, however, when
suddenly the walrus shot up beside me, threw itself on to
the edge of the kayak, took hold farther over the deck
with one fore-flipper, and as it tried to upset me aimed a
blow at the kayak with its tusks. I held on as tightly as
possible, so as not to be upset Into the water, and struck
at the animal's head with the paddle as hard as I could.
It took hold of the kayak once more, and tilted me up,
so that the deck was almost under water, then let go,
and raised itself right up. I seized my gun, but at
454
Chapter IX.
the same moment it turned round and disappeared as
quickly as it had come. The whole thing had happened
m a moment, and I was just going to remark to Johansen
that we were fortunate in escaping so easily from that
adventure, when I noticed that my legs were wet. I
listened, and now heard the water trickling into the
IT TRIED TO UPSET ME.
kayak under me. To turn and run her in on to the
sunken ledge of ice was the work of a moment, but
I sank there. The thing was to get out and on to
the ice, the kayak all the time getting fuller. The
edge of the ice was high and loose, but I managed to
get up ; and Johansen, by tilting the sinking kayak over
The Journey Southwards. 455
to starboard, so that the leak came above the water,
managed to bring her to a place where the ice was
low enough to admit of our drawing her up. All I
possessed was floating about inside, soaked through.
What I most regret is that the water has got into the
photographic apparatus, and perhaps my precious photo-
graphs are ruined.
** So here we lie, with all our worldly goods spread out
to dry and a kayak that must be mended before we can
face the walrus aorain. It is a oood bie rent that he
has made, at least six inches long ; but it is fortunate
that it was no worse. How easily he might have
wounded me in the thigh with that tusk of his ! And
it would have fared ill with me if we had been farther
out, and not just at such a convenient place by the edge
of the ice, where there was a sunken ledge. The
sleeping-bag was soaking wet ; we wrung it out as well
as we could, turned the hair outside, and have spent a
capital night in it."
On the evening of the same day, I wrote : " To-day I
have patched my kayak, and we have gone over all the
seams in both kayaks with stearine ; so now we hope we
shall be able to go on in quite sound boats. In the
meantime the walruses are lying outside, staring
at us with their great, round eyes, grunting and
blowing, and now and then clambering up on the
edge of the ice, as though they wanted to drive us
away.'"
45^ Chapter IX.
"Tuesday, June 23rd.
" ' Do I sleep ? do I dream ?
Do I wonder and doubt ?
Are things what they seem ?
Or is visions about ? '
What has happened ? I can still scarcely grasp it.
How incessant are the vicissitudes in this wandering
life ! A few days ago swimming in the water for dear
life, attacked by walrus, living the savage life which I
have lived for more than a year now, and sure of a
long journey before us, over ice and sea, through
unknown regions, before we should meet with other
human beings — a journey full of the same ups and
downs, the same disappointments, that we have become
so accustomed to — and now living the life of a civilised
European, surrounded by everything that civilisation can
afford of luxury and good living, with abundance of water,
soap, towels, clean, soft woollen clothes, books, and every-
thing that we have been sighing for all these weary months.
"It was past midday on June 17th when I turned out
to prepare breakfast. I had been down to the edge of
the ice to fetch salt water, had made up the fire, cut up
the meat, and put it in the pot, and had already taken
off one boot preparatory to creeping into the bag again,
when I saw that the mist over the land had risen a little
since the preceding day. I thought it would be as well
to take the opportunity of having a look round, so I put
on my boot again, and went up on to a hummock
The Journey Southwards. 457
near to look at the land beyond. A gentle breeze
came from the land, bearing with it a confused
noise of thousands of bird-voices from the mountain
there. As I listened to these sounds of life and
movement, watched flocks of auks flying to and fro
above my head, and as my eye followed the line of coast,
stopping at the dark, naked cliffs, glancing at the cold,
icy plains and glaciers in a land which I believed to be
unseen by any human eye and untrodden by any
human foot, reposing in arctic majesty behind its mantle
of mist — a sound suddenly reached my ear, so like the
barking of a dog, that I started. It was only a couple
of barks, but it could not be anything else. I strained
my ears, but heard no more, only the same bubbling
noise of thousands of birds. I must have been mistaken,
after all ; it was only birds I had heard ; and again my
eye passed from sound to island in the west. Then
the barking came again, first single barks, then full cry ;
there was one deep bark, and one sharper ; there was
no longer any room for doubt. At that moment, I
remembered having heard two reports the day before,
which I thought sounded like shots, but I had explained
them away as noises in the ice. I now shouted to
Johansen that I heard dogs farther inland. Johansen
started up from the bag where he lay sleeping, and
tumbled out of the tent. ' Dogs ? ' He could not
quite take it in, but had to get up and listen with
his own ears, while I got breakfast ready. He very
458 Chapter IX.
much doubted the possibility of such a thing, yet fancied
once or twice that he heard something which might be
taken for the barking of dogs ; but then it was drowned
again in the bird-noises, and, everything considered, he
thought that what I had heard was nothing more than
that. I said he might beHeve what he Hked, but I
meant to set off as quickly as possible, and was impatient
to get breakfast swallowed. I had emptied the last of
the Indian meal into the soup, feeling sure that we
should have farinaceous food enough by the evening.
As we were eating we discussed who it could be,
whether our countrymen or Englishmen. If it was the
English expedition to Franz Josef Land which had been
in contemplation when we started, what should we do ?
' Oh, we'll just have to remain with them a day or two,'
said Johansen, 'and then we'll have to go on to Spitz-
bergen, else it will be too long before we get home.'
We were quite agreed on this point ; but we would
take care to get some good provisions for the voyage
out of them. While I went on, Johansen was to stay
behind and mind the kayaks, so that we should run
no risk of their drifting away with the ice. I got out my
snowshoes, glass, and gun, and was ready. Before
starting, I went up once more to listen, and look out a
road across the uneven ice to the land. But there was
not a sound like the barking of dogs, only noisy auks,
harsh-toned little auks, and screaming kittiwakes. Was
it these, after all, that I had heard ? I set off in doubt.
The Journey Southwards. 459
Then In front of me I saw the fresh tracks of an annual.
They could hardly have been made by a fox, for if they
were, the foxes here must be bigger than any I had ever
seen. But dogs ? Could a dog have been no more than a
few hundred paces from us in the night w^ithout barking,
or without our having heard it? It seemed scarcely
probable; but whatever it was, it could never have been
a fox. A wolf, then ? I went on, my mind full of
strange thoughts, hovering between certainty and doubt.
Was all our toil, were all our troubles, privations,
and sufferings, to end here .'^ It seemed incredible, and
yet Out of the shadowland of doubt, certainty was
at last beginning to dawn. Again the sound of a dog
yelping reached my ear, more distinctly than ever; I saw
more and more tracks which could be nothing- but
those of a dog. Among them were foxes' tracks and
how small they looked ! A long time passed, and
nothing was to be heard but the noise of the birds.
Again arose doubt as to whether it was all an illusion.
Perhaps it was only a dream. But then I remembered
the dogs' tracks ; they, at any rate, were no delusion.
But if there were people here, we could scarcely be on
Gillies Land or a new land, as we had believed all the
winter. We must after all be upon the south sicie of
Franz Josef Land, and the suspicion I had had a
lew days ago was correct, namely, that we had come
south through an unknow^n sound and out between
Hooker Island and North brook Island, and were now
460
Chapter IX.
off the latter, in spite of the impossibility of recon-
ciling our position with Payer's map.
"It was with a strange mixture of feelings that I
made my way in towards land among the numerous
hummocks and inequalities. Suddenly I thought I
FRANZ JOSEF LAND.
heard a shout from a human voice, a strange voice,
the first for three years. How my heart beat, and the
blood rushed to my brain, as I ran up on to a hummock,
and hallooed with all the strength of my lungs.
The Journey Southwards. 461
Behind that one human voice in the midst of
the icy desert, this one message from Hfe, stood
home and she who was waiting there ; and I saw
nothing else as I made my way between bergs and
ice-ridges. Soon I heard another shout, and saw, too,
from an ice-ridge, a dark form moving among the
hummocks farther in. It was a dog ; but farther off
came another figure, and that was a man. Who was it ?
Was it Jackson or one of his companions, or was it
perhaps a fellow-countryman ? We approached one
another quickly ; I waved my hat : he did the same. I
heard him speak to the dog, and I listened. It was
English, and as I drew nearer I thought I recognised
Mr. Jackson, whom I remembered once to have seen.
''I raised my hat; we extended a hand to one another,
with a hearty ' How do you do ? ' Above us a roof of
mist, shutting out the world around, beneath our feet the
rugged, packed drift-ice, and in the background a glimpse
of the land, all ice, glacier, and mist. On one side
the civilised European in an English check suit and
high rubber water-boots, well shaved, well groomed,
bringing with him a perfume of scented soap, perceptible
to the wild man's sharpened senses ; on the other side
the wild man, clad in dirty rags, black with oil and
soot, with long, uncombed hair and shaggy beard, black
with smoke, with a face in which the natural fair com-
plexion could not possibly be discerned through the
thick layer of fat and soot which a winter's endeavours
462 Chapter IX.
with warm w^ater, moss, rags, and at last a knife had
sought in vain to remove. No one suspected who he
was or whence he came.
'' Jackson : * I'm immensely glad to see you.
" ' Thank you, I also.'
" ' Have you a ship here ? '
" * No ; my ship is not here.
'' * How many are there of you ?
" ' I have one companion at the ice-edge.'
''As we talked, we had begun to go in towards land.
I took it for granted that he had recognised me, or at
any rate understood who it was that was hidden behind
this savage exterior, not thinking that a total stranger
would be received so heartily. Suddenly he stopped,
looked me full in the face, and said quickly : — •
*' ' Aren't you Nansen ? '
" ' Yes, I am.'
'' ' By Jove ! I am glad to see you ! '
'' And he seized my hand and shook it again, while his
whole face became one smile of welcome, and delight at
the unexpected meeting beamed from his dark eyes.
*' ' Where have you come from now ? ' he asked.
'' ' I left the Fram in 84° N. lat., after having drifted
for two years, and I reached the 86° 15' parallel, where
we had to turn and make for Franz Josef Land. We
were, however, obliged to stop for the winter somewhere
north here, and are now on our route to Spitzbergen.'
'' ' I congratulate you most heartily. You have made a
I
The Journey Southwards. 463
good trip of it, and I am awfully glad to be the first
person to congratulate you on your return.'
*' Once more he seized my hand, and shook it heartily.
I could not have been welcomed more warmly ; that
handshake was more than a mere form. In his
hospitable English manner, he said at once that he had
' plenty of room ' for us, and that he was' expecting his
ship every day. By ' plenty of room ' I discovered
afterwards that he meant that there were still a few
square feet on the floor of their hut that were not
occupied at night by himself and his sleeping com-
panions. But 'heart-room makes house-room,' and of
the former there was no lack. As soon as I could get a
word in, I asked how things were getting on at home,
and he was able to give me the welcome intelligence
that my wife and child had both been in the best of
health when he left two years ago. Then came
Norway's turn, and Norwegian politics ; but he knew
nothing about that, and I took it as a sign that they
must be all ricrht too. He now asked if we could not eo
out at once, and fetch Johansen and our belongings ;
but I thought that our kayaks would be too heavy
for us to drag over this packed-up ice alone, and
that if he had men enough it would certainly be
better to send them out. If we only gave Johansen
notice by a salute from our guns, he would wait
patiently ; so we each fired two shots. We soon met
several men : Mr. Armitage, the second in command.
464 Chapter IX.
Mr. Child, the photographer, and the doctor, Mr. Koetlitz.
As they approached, Jackson gave them a sign, and let
them understand who I was ; and I was again welcomed
heartily. We met yet others : the botanist, Mr. Fisher,
Mr. Burgess, and the Finn Blomqvist (his real name was
Melenius). Fisher has since told me that he at once
thought it must be me when he saw a man out on the ice ;
but he quite gave up that idea when he met me, for he
had seen me described as a fair man, and here was a
dark man, with black hair and beard. When they were
all there, Jackson said that I had reached 86° 15' N. lat,
and from seven powerful lungs I was given a triple
British cheer, that echoed among the hummocks. Jackson
immediately sent his men off to fetch sledges and go out
to Johansen, while we went on towards the house which
I now thought I could see on the shore. Jackson now
told me that he had letters for me from home, and that
both last spring and this he had had them with him
when he went north, on the chance of our meeting.
We now found that in March he must have been
at no great distance south of our winter-hut,"^ but
had to turn there, as he was stopped by open water,
the same open water over which we had seen the dark
atmosphere all the winter. Only when we came up
nearly to the houses did he inquire more particularly
* He had reached Cape Richthofen, about 35 miles to the south
of us.
The Journey Southwards.
465
about the Fram and our drifting, and I briefly
told him our story. He told me afterwards that from
the time we met he had believed that the ship had been
destroyed, and that we two were the only survivors of
the expedition. He thought he had seen a sad
expression in my face when he first asked about the
MR. JACKSON S STATION AT CAPE FLORA.
ship, and was afraid ot touching on the subject again.
Indeed, he had even quietly warned his men not to ask.
It was only through a chance remark of mine that he
found out his mistake, and began to inquire more par-
ticularly about the Fram and the others.
VOL. IL 2 H
k
466 Chapter IX.
^
"Then we arrived at the house, a low Russian timber
hut, lying on a flat terrace, an old shore-line, beneath the
mountain, and 50 feet above the sea. It was surrounded
by a stable and four circular tent-houses, in which stores
were kept. We entered a comfortable, warm nest in the
midst of these desolate, wintry surroundings, the roof
and walls covered with green cloth. On the walls hung
photographs, etchings, photo-lithographs, and shelves
everywhere, containing books and instruments ; under
the roof clothes and shoes hung drying, and from the
little stove in the middle of the floor of this cosy room
the warm coal fire shone out a hospitable welcome.
A strange feeling came over me as I seated myself
in a comfortable chair in these unwonted surroundings.
At one stroke of changing fate, all responsibility, all
troubles, were swept away from a mind that had been
oppressed by them during three long years ; I was
In a safe haven, in the midst of the ice, and the longings
of three years were lulled in the golden sunshine of the
dawning day. My duty was done : my task was ended ;
now- 1 could rest, -only rest and wait.
*' A carefully soldered tin packet was handed to me ; it
contained letters from Norway. It was almost with
a trembling hand and a beating heart that I opened
it ; and there were tidings, only good tidings, from home.
A delightful feeling of peace settled upon the soul.
** Then dinner was served, and how nice it was to
have bread butter, milk, sugar, coffee, and everything that
PHOTOGRAPH BY MR. JACKSON OF NANSEN AT CAPE FLORA,
i
The Journey Southwards. 467
a year had taught us to do without and yet to long for.
But the height of comfort was reached when we were
able to throw off our dirty rags, have a warm bath,
and get rid of as much dirt as was possible in one
bout ; but we only succeeded in becoming anything like
clean after several days and many attempts. Then clean,
soft clothes from head to foot, hair cut, and the shaggy
beard shaved off, and the transformation from savage to
European was complete, and even more sudden than in
the reverse direction. How delightfully comfortable it
was to be able to put on one's clothes without being
made greasy, but most of all to be able to move without
feeling them stick to the body with every movement.
''It was not very long before Johansen and the others
followed, with the kayaks and our things. Johansen
related how these warm-hearted Englishmen had given
him and the Norwegian flag a hearty cheer when they
came up and saw it waving beside a dirty woollen shirt
on a bamboo rod which he had put up by my orders, so
that I could find my way back to him. On the way
hither they had not allowed him to touch the sledges, he
had only to walk beside them like a passenger, and he
said that, of all the ways in which we had travelled over
drift-ice, this was without comparison the most comfort-
able. His reception in the hut was scarcely less hospi-
table than mine, and he soon w^ent through the same
transformation that I had undergone. I no longer
recognise my comrade of the long winter night, and search
2 H 2
468 Chapter IX.
in vain for any trace of the tramp who wandered up and
down that desolate shore, beneath the steep tahis and
the dark basalt cliff, outside the low underground hut.
The black, sooty troglodyte has vanished, and in his
place sits a well-favoured, healthy-looking European
citizen in a comfortable chair, puffing away at a short
pipe or a cigar, and with a book before him, doing
his best to learn English. It seems to me that he
gets fatter and fatter every day, with an almost alarm-
ing rapidity. It is indeed surprising that we have
both gained considerably in weight since we left the
Fram. When I came here, I myself weighed about
^\\ stone, or nearly 22 lbs. more than I did when I
left the Fra7n ; while Johansen weighs over 1 1 stone
II lbs., having gained a little more than 13 lbs. This
is the result of a winter's feeding on nothing but bear's
meat and fat in an Arctic climate. It is not quite
like the experiences of others in parallel circumstances ;
it must be our laziness that has done it. And here
we are, living in peace and quietness, waiting for the
ship from home and for what the future will bring
us, while everything is being done for us to make us
forget a winter's privations. We could not have fallen
into better hands, and it is impossible to describe the
unequalled hospitality and kindness we meet with on
all hands, and the comfort we feel. Is it the year's
privations and want of human society, is it common
interests, that so draw us to these men in these desolate
PHOTOGRAPH BY MR. JACKSON OF JOHANSRN AT CAPE FLORA.
I
The Journey Southwards. 469
regions ? I do not know ; but we are never tired of
talking, and It seems as If we had known one another
for years, Instead of having met for the first time a few
days ago."
"Wednesday, June 23rd. It Is now three years since
GLACIER, FRANZ JOSEF LAND.
we left home. As we sat at the dinner-table this
evening, Hay ward, the cook, came rushing In and said
there was a bear outside. We went out, Jackson with
his camera and I with my rifle. We saw the head of
the bear above the edge of the shore ; it was sniffing the
470 Chapter IX.
air in the direction of the hut, while a couple of dogs
stood at a respectful distance and barked. As we
approached, it came right up over the edge to us,
stopped, showed its teeth, and hissed, then turned round
and went slowly back down towards the shore. To
hinder it enough for Jackson to get near and photograph
it, I sent a bullet into its hind-quarters as it disappeared
over the edge. This helped, and a ball in the left
shoulder still more. Surrounded by a few dogs, it now
made a stand. The dogs grew bolder, and a couple of
shots in the muzzle from Jackson's revolver made the
bear quite furious. It sprang first at one dog, ' Misere,
caught hold of it by the back, and flung it a good way
out over the ice, then sprang at the other, seizing it by
one paw and tearing one toe badly. It then found an
old tin box, bit it flat, and flung it far away. It was
wild with fury, but a ball behind the ear ended its
sufferings. It w^as a she-bear, with milk in the breast ;
but there was no sign of any embryo, and no young one
was discovered in the neighbourhood."
"Sunday, July 15th. This evening, when Jackson
and the doctor were up on the mountain shooting auks,
the dogs began to make a tremendous row (especially
the bear-dog ' Nimrod,' which is chained outside the
door), and howled and whined in a suspicious manner.
Armitage went out, coming back a little while after and
asking if I cared to shoot a bear. I accompanied him,
with my rifle and camera. The bear had taken flight to a
The Journey Southwards.
471
little hummock out on the ice south of the house, and was
lying at full length on the top of it, with ' Misere ' and
a couple of puppies round it, standing at a little distance
and barking persistently. As we approached, it fled over
\Vn ^.^
vA
l^^^r^i
H
THE WOUNDED BEAR.
the Ice ; the range was long, but, nevertheless, we sent
a few shots after It, thinking we might perhaps retard
Its progress. With one of these I was fortunate
enough to hit it in the hind-quarters, and it now
472
Chapter IX.
fled to a new ice-hill. Here I was able to get
nearer to it. It was evidently very much enraged ;
and when I came under the hummock where it stood,
it showed its teeth, and hissed at me, and repeatedly
gave signs of wanting to jump down on to the top
Instantaneous'^
A VISITOR.
[Photograph.
of me. On these occasions I rapidly got ready my rifle
instead of the camera. It scraped away the loose snow
from under its feet to get a better footing for the leap
which, however, it never took ; and I re-exchanged my
rifle for my camera. In the meantime, Jackson had
arrived, with his camera^ on the other side ; and when we
The Journey Southwards. 473
had taken all the photographs we wanted, we shot the
bear. It was an unusually large she-bear."
One of the first things we did when we came to
Mr. Jackson's station was of course to make a close
comparison of our watches with his chronometer ; and
Mr. Armitage was also kind enough to take careful time
observations for me. It now appears that we had not
been so far out after all. We had put our watches
about 26 minutes wronor, makinof a difference of
about 6|^° in longitude. A protracted comparison
undertaken by Mr. Armitage also showed that the
escapement of our watches was very nearly what we
had assumed. With the help of this information, I was
now enabled to work out our longitude observations
pretty correctly ; and one of the first tasks I here set
about, now that we once more had access to paper,
writing- and drawing-materials, and all that we had
longed for so much during the winter, w^as to prepare a
sketch-map of Franz Josef Land, as our observations led
me to conclude that it must actually be. Mr. Jackson
very kindly allowed me to consult the map he had
made of that part of the land which he had explored.
This enabled me to dispense with the labour of reckoning
out my own observations in these localities. Further-
more, I have to thank Mr. Jackson for aid in every
possible way, with navigation-tables, Nautical Almanack,"^
scales, and all sorts of drawing material.
* We had not any Nautical Almanack for 1896, and had hitherto used
the almanack for the previous year.
474 Chapter IX.
It is by a comparison of Payer's map, Jackson's map,
and my own observations, that I have made out the
sketch-map here reproduced. I have altered Payers
and Jackson's map only at places where my observations
differ essentially from theirs. I make no pretence to
give more than a provisional sketch ; I had not even
time to work out my own observations with absolute
accuracy. When this has been done, and if I can gain
access to all Payer's material, no doubt a considerably
more trustworthy map can be produced. The only
importance which I claim for the accompanying map
is that it shows roughly how what we have hitherto
called Franz Josef Land is cut up into innumerable
small islands, without any continuous and extensive
mass of land. Much of Payer's map I found to
coincide well enough with our observations. But the
enigma over which we had pondered the whole winter
still remained unsolved. Where were Dove Glacier and
the whole northern part of Wilczek Land ? Where were
the islands which Payer had named Braun Island,
Hoffmann Island, and Freeden Island ? The last might,
no doubt, be identified with the southernmost island of
Hvidtenland (White Land), but the others had com-
pletely disappeared. I pondered for a long time
over the question how such a mistake could have
crept into a map by such a man as Payer — an
experienced topographer, whose maps, as a rule, bear
the stamp of great accuracy and care, and a Polar
The Journey Southwards. 475
traveller for whose ability I have always entertained a
high respect. I examined his account of his voyage, and
there I found that he expressly mentions that during the
time he was coasting along this Dove Glacier he had a
great deal of fog, which quite concealed the land ahead.
But one clay (it was April 7th, 1874) he says^ : "At this
latitude (81° 23') It seemed as If Wilczek Land suddenly
terminated, but when the sun scattered the driving mists
we saw the glittering ranges of its enormous glaciers —
the Dove Glaciers — shining down on us. Towards the
north-east we could trace land trending to a cape lying In
the grey distance : Cape Buda-Pesth, as It was after-
wards called. The prospect thus opened to us of a vast
glacier land conflicted with the general Impression we
had formed of the resemblance between the newly dis-
covered region and Spltzbergen ; for glaciers of such
extraordinary magnitude presuppose the existence of a
country stretching far into the interior."
I have often thought over this description, and I
cannot find In Payer's book any other information that
throws light upon the mystery. Although, according to
this, It would appear as if they had had clear weather that
day, there must, nevertheless, have been fog-banks lying
over Hvldtenland, uniting it with Wilczek Land to the
south and stretching northwards towards Crown- Prince
Rudolf Land. The sun shinlnor on these fo^-banks
* Neiv Lands within the Arctic Circle. By J. Payer, Vol. II, p. 129,
476 Chapter IX.
must have glittered so that they were taken for glaciers
along a continuous coast. I can all the more easily under-
stand this mistake as I was myself on the point of
falling into it. As before related, if the weather had not
cleared on the evening of June iith, enabling us to
discern the sound between Northbrook Island and Peter
Head (Alexandra Land), we should have remained under
the impression that we had here continuous land, and
should have represented it as such in mapping this region.
Mr. Jackson and I frequently discussed the naming of
the lands we had explored. I asked him whether he
would object to my naming the land on which I had
wintered '' Frederick Jackson's Island," as a small token
of our gratitude for the hospitality he had shown us.
We had made the discovery that this island was separated
by sounds from the land farther north, which Payer had
named Karl Alexander Land. For the rest, I refrained
from giving names to any of the places which Jackson
had seen before I saw them.
The country around Cape Flora proved to be very
interesting from the geological point of view, and as
often as time permitted I investigated its structure,
either alone, or more frequently in company with the
doctor and geologist of the English expedition, Dr.
Koetlitz. Many an interesting excursion did we make
together up and down those steep moraines in search of
fossils, which in certain places we found in great numbers.
It appeared that from the sea-level up to a height ot
The Journey Southwards. 477
about 500 or 600 feet the land consisted of a soft clay
mixed with lumps of a red-brown clay sandstone, in
which lumps the fossils chiefly abounded. But the earth
was so overstrewn with loose stones which had rolled
down from the basalt walls above, that it was difficult
to reach it. For a long time I maintained that all this
clay was only a comparatively late strand formation ;
but the doctor was indefatigable in his efforts to convince
me that it really was an old and very extensive forma-
tion, stretching right under the superimposed basalt.
At last I had to yield, when we arrived at the topmost
stratum of the clay, and I saw it actually going under
the basalt, and found some shallower strata of basalt
lower down in the clay. An examination of the fossils,
which consisted for the most part of ammonites and
belemnites, convinced me that the whole of this clay
formation must date from the Jurassic period. At
several places Dr. Koetlitz had found thin strata of
coal in the clay. Petrified wood was also of common
occurrence. But over the clay formation lay a mighty
bed of basalt 600 or 700 feet in height, which was
certainly not the least interesting feature of the country.
It was distinguished by its coarse-grained structure from
the majority of typical basalts, and seemed to be closely
related to those which are found in Spitzbergen and
North- East Land."' The basalt, however, seems to vary
Where they are generally called diabases.
478
Chapter IX.
a good deal in appearance here in Franz Josef Land.
That which we found further north — for example, at Cape
M'Clintock and on Goose Island — was considerably more
coarse-grained than that which we found here. The
situation of the basalt here on Northbrook Island
BASALTIC ROCK.
and the surrounding islands was also very different
from that which we had observed farther north. It
is here met with, as a rule, only at a height of
500 or 600 feet above the sea, while on the more
northerly islands — from Si° northwards — it reached
The Journey Southwards. /\.yg
right to the shore. Thus it dropped in an almost per-
pendicular wall straight into the sea at Jackson's Cape
Fisher, in 8i°. It was the same at Cape M'Clintock, at
our winter cabin, at the headland of columnar basalt
where we passed the night of August 25th, 1895, ^^ Cape
Clements Markham, and at the sharp point of rock where
we landed on the night between August i6th and 17th.
The structure seemed to be similar, too, so far as we had
seen, on the south side of Crown-Prince Rudolfs Land.
Wherever we had been to the northward I had kept a
sharp look-out for strata whose fossils could give us any
information as to the geological age of this country.
According to what I here found at Cape Flora, it ap-
peared as if a great part, at least, of this basalt dated from
the Jurassic period, as it lay immediately above, and was
partly intermixed with, strata of this age. Moreover, on
the top of the basalt, as will presently appear, vegetable
fossils were found dating from the later part of the
Jurassic period. It thus seems as though Franz Josef
Land were of a comparatively old formation. All these
horizontal strata of basalt, stretching over all the islands
at about the same height, seem to indicate that there was
once a continuous mass of land here, which in the course
of time, being exposed to various disintegrating forces
such as frost, damp, snow, glaciers, and the sea, has been
split up and worn away, and has in part disappeared
under the sea, so that now only scattered islands and
rocks remain, separated from each other by fjords and
480 Chapter IX.
sounds. As these formations bear a certain resemblance
to what has been found in several places in Spitzbergen
and North- East Land, we may plausibly assume that these
two groups of islands originally belonged to the same
mass of land. It would, therefore, be interesting to
investigate the as yet unknown region which separates
them, the region which we should have had to traverse
had we not fallen in with Jackson and his expedition.
There is doubtless much that is new, and especially many
new islands, to be found in this strait — possibly a
continuous series of islands, so that there may be some
difficulty in determining where the one archipelago ends
and the other begins. The investigation of this region
is a problem of no small scientific importance, which we
may hope that the Jackson- Harmsworth Expedition will
succeed in solving.
How far the Franz Josef Land archipelago stretches
towards the north cannot as yet be determined with
certainty. According to our experience, indeed, it
would seem improbable that there is land of any great
extent in that direction. It is true that Payer, when he
was upon Crown-Prince Rudolf's Land, saw Petermann's
Land and Oscar's Land, the first to the north and the
second to the west ; but that Petermann's Land, at any
rate, cannot be of any size, seems to be proved by our
observations, since we saw no land at all as we came
southwards a good way east of it, and the ice seemed
to drift to the westward practically unimpeded when
The Journey Southwards. 481
we were In its latitude. That King Oscar's Land also
cannot be of any great extent seems to me evident
from what we saw in the course of the winter and
spring, as the wind swept the ice unhindered away
from the land, so that there can scarcely be any
extensive and continuous mass of land to the north or
north-west to keep it back.
It is, perhaps, even more difficult to determine how
far the F'ranz Josef Land archipelago stretches to the
eastward. From all we saw, I should judge that
Wilczek Land cannot be of any great extent ; but
there may nevertheless be new islands further to the
east. This seems probable, indeed, from the fact that
in June and July, 1895, we remained almost motionless
at about 82° 5' N. lat., in spite of a long continuance
of northerly winds ; whence It seemed that there must
be a stretch of land south of us obstructing, like a long
wall, the further drift of the ice to the southward. But
It Is useless to discuss this question minutely here, as it,
too, will doubtless be answered authoritatively by the
English expedition.
Another feature of Northbrook Island w^hlch greatly
Interested me was the evidence it presented of changes in
the level of the sea. I have already mentioned that
Jackson's hut lay on an old strand-line or terrace about
from 40 to 50 feet high, but there were also several other
strand-lines, both lower and hiorher. Thus I found that
Leigh Smith, who also had wintered on this headland,
VOL. II. 2 I
482 Chapter IX.
had built his hut upon an old strand-line i 7 feet above
the sea-level, while at other places I found strand-lines
at a height of 80 feet. I had already noticed such strand-
lines at different elevations when I first arrived in the
previous autumn at the more northern part of this region
(for example, on Torup's Island). Indeed we had lived
all the winter on such a terrace.
Jackson had found whales' skeletons at several places
about Cape Flora. Close to his hut, for instance, at a
height of 50 feet, there laid the skull of a whale, a balcena,
possibly a Greenland whale {BalcEua mysticettis ?). At
a point farther north there lay fragments of a whole
skeleton, probably of the same species. The underjaw
was 18 feet 3 inches long ; but these bones lay at an
elevation of not more than 9 feet above the present sea-
level. I also found other indications that the sea must
at a comparatively recent period have risen above these
low strand-terraces. For instance, they were at many
points strewn with mussel shells. This land, then, seems
to have been subjected to changes of level analogous to
those which have occurred in other northern countries,
of which, as above mentioned, I had also seen indications
on the north coast of Asia.
One day when Mr. Jackson and Dr. Koetlitz were
out on an excursion together they found on a " nunatak,"
or spur of rock, projecting above a glacier on the north
side of Cape Flora, two places w^hich were strewn with
vegetable fossils. This discovery, of course, aroused
'■rAt
U
i^i^>'^
^L^'^>^-^'t ^ <''
The Journey Southwards. 483
my keenest Interest, and on July the 17th Dr. Koetlitz
and I set out for the spot together. The spur of rock
consisted entirely of basalt, at some points showing a
marked columnar structure, and projected in the
middle of the glacier, at a height which I estimated
at 600 or 700 feet above the sea. Unfortunately there
A STRANGE ROCK OF BASALT.
was no time to measure its elevation exactly. At
two points on the surface of the basalt there was
a layer consisting of innumerable fragments of sand-
stone. In almost every one of these impressions
were to be found, for the most part of the needles and
2 I 2
484 Chapter IX.
leaves of pine-trees, but also of small fern-leaves. We
picked up as many of these treasured as we could carry,
and returned that evening heavily laden and in high
contentment. On a snowshoe excursion, some days later,
Johansen also chanced unwittingly upon the same place,
and gathered fossils, which he brought to me. Since my
return home, this collection of vegetable fossils has been
examined by Professor Nathorst, and it appears that
Mr. Jackson and Dr. Koetlitz have here made an
extremely interesting find.
Professor Nathorst writes to me as follows: — *' In
spite of their very fragmentary condition the vegetable
fossils brought home by you are of great interest, as
they give us our first insight into the plant world in
regions north of the eightieth degree of latitude during
the latter part of the Jurassic period. The most common
are leaves of a fir-tree [pifms) which resembles the phius
Nor dens kioidi (Heer) found in the Jurassic strata of
Spitzbergen, East Siberia, and Japan, but which probably
belongs to a different species. There occur also
narrower leaves of another species, and furthermore
male flowers and fragments of a pine cone"^ with several
seeds (Figs. 1-3), one of which (Fig. i) suggests the
■^ Leigh-Smith had aheady brought back from Spitzbergen a fossil
cone, which Carruthers classified as a pinus ; but he regarded it as
belonging to the upper part of the cretaceous system.
The Journey Southwards. 485
i)inus Maakiana (Heer) from the Jurassic strata of
Siberia. Among traces of other pine-trees may be
mentioned those of a broad-leaved taxites resembling
taxites gramineus (Heer) specially found in the Jurassic
strata of Spitzbergen and Siberia, which has leaves of
about the same size as those of the Cephalotaxus Fortunei,
at present existing in China and Japan. It is interest-
ing, too, to find remains of the genus Feildenia (Figs. 4
and 5), which has as yet been found only in the Polar
regions. It was first discovered by Nordenskiold in the
tertiary strata near Cape Staratschin on Spitzbergen, in
1868, and was described by Heer under the name of
Torellia. It was subsequently found by Feilden in the
tertiary strata at Discovery Bay, in Grinnell Land,
during the English Polar Expedition of 1875-76; and
Heer now changed the generic name to Feildenia, as
Torellia had already been employed as the name of a
mussel. This species has since been found by me in
1882 in the upper Jurassic strata of Spitzbergen. The
leaves remind one of the leaves of the sub-species nageia
of the existing genus podocarpus.
** The finest specimens of the whole collection are the
leaves of a small ginkgo, of which one is complete (Fig.
6). This genus, with plum-like seeds and with leaves
which, unlike those of other pine-trees, have a real leaf-
blade, is found at present, in one single species only,
in Japan, but existed in former times in numerous forms
and in many regions. During the Jurassic period it
486
Chapter IX.
flourished especially in East Siberia, and has also been
found on Spitzbergen, in East Greenland (at Scoresby
Sound), and at many places in Europe, etc. During the
cretaceous and the tertiary periods it was still found on
the west coast of Greenland at 70° N. lat. The leaf here
reproduced belongs to a new species which might be
called ginkgo i)olaris, and which is most closely related
to the g. fiabellata (Heer) from the Jurassic strata of
Siberia. It bears a certain habitual resemblance to
ginkgo digitata (Lindley and Hutton), particularly as
PLANT FOSSILS.
found in the brown Jurassic strata of England and
Spitzbergen ; but its leaves are considerably smaller.
Besides this species, one or two others may also occur
in this collection, as well as fragments of the leaves of
the genus czekanowskia, related to the ginkgo family,
but with narrow leaf-blades resembling pine-needles.
" Ferns are very scantily represented. Such frag-
ments as there are belong to four different types ; but
the species can scarcely be determined. One fragment
The Journey Southwards. 487
belonos to the genus cladophlebis, common in Jurassic
strata ; another suggests the thyrsopteris, found in the
Jurassic strata of East Siberia and of England ; a third
suggests the onychiopsis characteristic of the upper
Jurassic strata. The fourth, again, seems to be closely
related to the aspleniuin {^PetniscJiinense), which Heer
has described, found in the Siberian Jurassic strata. The
specimen is remarkable from the fact that the epidermis
cells of the leaf have left a clear impression on the rock.
" With its wealth of pine leaves, its poverty of ferns,
and its lack of cycadece, this Franz Josef Land flora
has somewhat the same character as that of the upper
Jurassic fiora of Spitzbergen, although the species are
somewhat different. Like the Spitzbergen fiora, it does
not indicate a particularly genial climate, although doubt-
less enormously more so than that of the present day.
The deposits must doubtless have occurred in the
neighbourhood of a pine forest. So far as the speci-
mens enable one to judge, the flora seems to belong
rather to the upper (white) Jurassic system than to the
middle (brown) system."
It was undeniably a sudden transition to come straight
from our long inert life in our winter lair, where one's
scientific interests found little enough stimulus, right into
the midst of this scientific oasis, where there was plenty
of opportunity for work, where books and all necessary
apparatus were at hand, and where one could employ
488 Chapter IX.
one's leisure moments in discussing with men ot similar
tastes all sorts of scientific questions connected with the
Arctic zone. In the botanist of the expedition, Mr.
Harry Fisher, I found a man full of the warmest interest
in the fauna and flora of the Polar regions, and the
exhaustive • investigations which his residence here has
enabled him to make into the plant-life and animal-life
(especially the former) of the locality, both by sea and
land, will certainly augment In a most valuable degree
our knowledge of its biological conditions. I shall not
easily forget the many pleasant talks In which he com-
municated to me his discoveries and observations. They
were all eagerly absorbed by a mind long deprived of
such sustenance. I felt like a piece of parched soil
drinking In rain after a drought of a whole year.
But other diversions were also available. If my
brain grew fatigued with unw^onted labour, I could set
off with Jackson for the top of the moraine to shoot
auks, which swarmed under the basalt w^alls. They
roosted in hundreds and hundreds on the shelves and
ledges above us ; at other places the kittlwakes brooded
on their nests. It was a refreshing scene of life and
activity. As we stood up there at a height of 500 feet,
and could look far out over the sea, the auks flew In
swarms backward and forwards over our heads, and
every now and then we would knock over one or two as
they passed. Every time a gun was fired, the report
echoed through all the rocky clefts, and thousands of
The Journey Southwards.
489
birds flew shrieking down from the ledges. It seemed
as though a blast of wind had swept a great dust-cloud
down from the crest above ; but little by little they returned
to their nests, many of them meanwhile falling to our guns.
Jackson had here a capital larder, and he made ample use
of it. Almost every day he was up under the rock shooting
KITTIWAKE ON HER NEST.
auks, which formed a daily dish at dinner. In the
autumn great stores of them were laid in to last through
the winter. At other times Jackson and Blomqvist
would go up and gather eggs. They dragged a ladder
up with them, and by its aid Jackson clambered up the
490 Chapter IX.
perpendicular cliffs. This egg-hunting among the loose
basalt cliffs where the stones were perpetually slipping
away from under one, appeared to me such dare-devil
work that I was chary oi taking part in it. Far be it
from me to deny, however, that the eggs made delicious
eating, whether we had them soft-boiled for breakfast, or
made into pancakes for dinner. It was remarkable how
entirely I had got out of training for climbing in precipi-
tous places. I well remember that the first time I went
up the moraine with Jackson, I had to stop and take
breath every hundred paces or so. This was, no doubt,
due to our long inactivity ; perhaps, too, I had become
somewhat anaemic during the winter in our lair. But there
was more than that in it ; the very height and steepness
made me uneasy, I was inclined to turn dizzy, and had
great difficulty in coming down again, preferring, if
possible, simply to sit down and slide. After a while
this passed off a little, and I became more accustomed to
the heights again. I also became less short-winded, and
at last I could climb almost like a normal human being.
In the meantime the days wore on, and still we saw
nothing of the Windwai^d. Johansen and I began to
get a little impatient. We discussed the possibility
that the ship might not make its way through the ice,
and that we should have to winter here after all. This
idea was not particularly attractive to us — to be so near
home and yet not to reach home. We regretted that
we had not at once pushed on for Spitzbergen ; per-
The Journey Southwards. 491
haps we should by this time have reached the much-
BASALTIC CLIFFS.
talked-of sloop. When we came to think of it, why on
earth had we stopped here ? That was easily explained.
492 Chapter IX.
These people were so kind and hospitable to us that
it would have been more than Spartan had we been
able to resist their amiability. And then we had gone
through a good deal before we arrived, and here was a
warm cosy nest, where we had nothing to do but to sit
down and wait. Waiting, however, is not always the
easiest of work, and we began seriously to think of
setting off again for Spitzbergen. But had we not
delayed too long ? It was the middle of July, and
although we should probably get on quickly enough, we
might meet with unexpected impediments, and it might
take us a month or more to reach the waters in which
we could hope to find a ship. That would bring us to
the middle or perhaps to the end of August, by which
time the sloops had begun to make for home. If we did
not come across one at once, when we got into September
it would be difficult enough to get hold of one, and then
we should perhaps be in for another winter of it after all.
No, it was best to remain here, for there was every
chance that the ship would make its appearance. The
best time for navigating these waters is August and the
beginning of September, when there is generally the least
ice. We must trust to that, and let the time pass as best
it might. There were others than we who waited
impatiently for the ship. Four members of the English
expedition were also to go home in her, after two years'
absence.
'' Monday, July 20th. We begin to get more and
The Journey Southwards.
493
more Impatient for the arrival of the vessel, but the Ice
Is still tolerably thick here. Jackson says that she
should have been here by the middle of June, and thinks
that there has, several times, been sufficiently open water
for her to have got through ; but I have my doubts about
MR. JACKSON AT ELMWOOD.
that. Though only a little scattered Ice Is to be seen
here, even from a height of 500 feet, that cioes not mean
much ; there may be more Ice farther south blocking the
Avay. One day Jackson and the doctor were on the top
of the mountain here, and from that point, too, there
494 Chapter IX.
seemed to be very little ice in the south ; but I am
not convinced any the more. I think all experience
goes to show that there must still be plenty of ice in
the sea to the south. What Mr. Jackson says about
the Wzndzudrd hsiving been able to get through as early as
July last year without needing to touch the ice, adding
that then, too, there was no ice to be seen from here, I do
not find at all conclusive. During the last few days more
ice has agfain come driftincr in from the east. I lone to
get away. What if we are shut in here all the winter?
Then we shall have done wrong in stopping here.
Why did we not continue our journey to Spitzbergen ?
We should have been at home by now. The eye
wanders out over the boundless white plain. Not one
dark streak of water — ice, ice ! — shut out from the
world, from the throbbing life, the life that we believed
to be so near.
" Low down on the horizon there is a strip of blue-grey
cloud. Far, far away beyond the ice there is open
water, and perhaps there, rocked on long swelling-
billows from the great ocean, lies the vessel which is
to bear us to the familiar shores, the vessel which brings
tidings from home, and from those we love.
" Dream, : dream of home and beauty! Stray bird,
here among the ice and snow you will seek for them all
in vain. Dream the golden dream of future re-union !"
"Tuesday, July 21st. Have at last got a good
wind from the north which is sendingr the ice out to
JOHANSEN IN JACKSON S HOUSE.
I
The Journey Southwards. 495
sea. There Is nothing but open sea to be seen this
evening ; now perhaps there is hope of soon seeing the
vessel."
"Wednesday, July 22nd. Continual changes and
continual disappointments. Yesterday hope was strong ;
to-day the wind has changed to the south-east, and
driven the ice in again. We may still have to wait a
long time."
" Sunday, July 26th. The vessel has come at last. I
was awakened this morning by feeling some one pull my
legs. It was Jackson, who, with beaming countenance,
announced that the Windward had come. I jumped
up and looked out of the window. There she was, just
beyond the edge of the ice, steaming slowly in to find an
anchorage. Wonderful to see a ship again ! How high
the riofcrinor seemed, and the hull ! It was like an island.
There would be tidings on board from the great w^orld
far beyond."
There was a general stir. Every man was up, arrayed
in the most wonderful costumes, to gaze out of the
window. Jackson and Blomqvist rushed off as soon as
they had got on their clothes. As I scarcely had any-
thing to do on board at present I went to bed again, but
it w^as not long before Blomqvist came panting back,
sent by the thoughtful Jackson, to say that all was w-ell
at home, and that nothing had been heard of the Frain.
This was the first thing Jackson had asked about. I felt
my heart as light as a feather. He said, too, that when
49^ Chapter IX.
Jackson had told the men who had come to meet him on
the ice about us and our journey, they had greeted the
intelhgence with three hearty cheers.
I had hardly slept two hours that night, and not much
more the night before. I tried to sleep, but there
was no rest to be had ; I might just as well dress and go
on board. As I drew near the vessel, I was greeted with
ringing cheers by the whole crew gathered on the deck,
where I was heartily received by the excellent Captain
Brown, commander of the Windzuard, by Dr. Bruce,
and Mr. Wilton, who were both to winter with Jackson,
and by the ship's company. We went below into the
roomy, snug cabin, and all kinds of news were eagerly
swallowed by listening ears, while an excellent breakfast
with fresh potatoes and other delicacies glided dow^n past
a palate which needed less than that to satisfy it. There
were remarkable pieces of new^s indeed. One of the first
\vas that now they could photograph people through
doors several inches thick. I confess I pricked up my
ears at this information. That they could photograph
a bullet buried in a person's body was wonderful
too, but nothing to this. And then w^e heard that the
Japanese had thrashed the Chinese, and a good deal
more. Not least remarkable, we thought, was the
interest which the whole world now seemed to take in
the Arctic regions. Spitzbergen had become a tourist
country ; a Norwegian steamship company (the
Vesteraalen) had started a regular passenger service
The Journey Southwards. 497
to it,^ a hotel had been built up there, and there was
a post-office and a Spitzbergen stamp. And then we
heard that Andree was there waiting for wind to go
to the Pole in a balloon. If we had pursued our course
to Spitzbergen, we should thus have dropped into the
very middle of all this. We should have found a hotel
and tourists, and should have been brought home in a
comfortable modern steamboat, very different from the
whaling sloop we had been talking of all the winter, and,
indeed, all the previous year. People are apt to think
that it would be amusing to see themselves, and I form
no exception to this rule. I would have given a good
deal to see us in our unwashed, unsophisticated condition,
as we came out of our winter lair, plumping into the
middle of a band of English tourists, male and female.
I doubt whether there would then have been much
embracing or shaking of hands, but I don't doubt that
there would have been a great deal of peering through
ventilators or any other loophole that could have been
found.
The Windward had left London on June 9th, and
Vardo on the 25th. They had brought four reindeer
with them for Jackson, but no horses as he had expected.t
One reindeer had died on the voyage.
* I did not dream that Sverdrup a year after would be in command
of this steamer.
t Jackson had brought with him several Russian horses, which he
VOL. II. 2 K
49^ Chapter IX.
Every one was now busily employed In unlading the
Windward, and bringing to land the supplies of
provisions, coal, reindeer-moss and other such things
which it had brought for the expedition. Both the
ship's crew and the members of the English expedition
took part in this work, which proceeded rapidly, and
had soon made a level road over the uneven
ice ; and now load after load was driven on sledges
to land. In less than a week Captain Brown was
ready to start for home, and only awaited Jackson's
letters and telegrams. They took a few more days, and
then everything was ready. In the meantime, however,
a gale had sprung up, blowing on the shore, the Wind-
ward's moorings at the edge of the ice had given way,
she was set adrift and obliged to seek a haven farther in,
where, however, it was so shallow that there was only
one or two feet of water beneath her keel. Meanwhile,
the wind drove the ice in, the navigable water closed in
all round it outside, and the floes were continually draw-
ing nearer. For a time the situation looked anything
but pleasant ; but fortunately the ice did not reach the
vessel, and she thus escaped being screwed out of the
water. After a delay of a couple of days on this account
the vessel got out again.
And now we were to bid adieu to this last station
had used along with dogs on his sledge expeditions. Only one of these
horses was alive at the time of our arrival.
The Journey Southwards. 499
on our route where we had met with such a
cordial and hospitable reception. A feverish energy
came over the little colony. Those who were
going home had to make themselves ready for the
voyage, and those who were to remain had to bring
their letters and other things on board. This,
however, was sufficiently difficult. The vessel lay
waiting impatiently and incessantly sounding her steam-
whistle ; and a quantity of loose ice had packed itself
together outside the edge of the shore ice, so that it was
not easy to move. At last, however, those who were to
remain had gone on shore, and we who were going home
were all on board — that is to say, Mr. Fisher, the
botanist, Mr. Child, the chemist, Mr. Burgess, and the
Finn, Blomqvist, of the English expedition, along with
Johansen and myself. As the sun burst through the
clouds above Cape Flora we waved our hats, and sent
our last cheer as a farewell to the six men standing like a
little dark spot on the floe in that great icy solitude ; and
under full sail and steam we set out on the 7th August,
with a fair wind, over the undulating surface of the
ocean, towards the south.
Fortune favoured us. On her northward voyage
the Windward had much and difficult ice to combat with,
before she at last broke through, and came in to land.
Now, too, we met a quantity of ice, but it was slack and
comparatively easy to get through. We were stopped
in a few places, and had to break a way through
2 K 2
500
Chapter IX.
with the engine ; but the ship was in good hands.
From his long experience as a whaler, Captain Brown
knew well how to contend with greater odds than the
thin ice we met with here — the only ice that is found in
this sea. From morning till night he sat up in the crow s-
CAPE FLORA. FAREWELL TO FRANZ JOSEF LAND.
nest as long as there was a bit of ice in the water. He
gave himself little time for sleep ; the point was, as he
often said to me, to bring us home before the Fram
arrived, for he understood well what a blow it would give
to those near and dear to us if she grot home before us.
The Journey Southwards. 501
Thanks to him, we had as short and pleasant a home-
ward voyage as few, if any, can have had from these
inhospitable regions, where we had spent three years.
From the moment we set foot on deck, he did everything
to make us comfortable and at home on board, and
we spent many a pleasant hour together, which will
never be forgotten by either of us. But it was not only
the captain who treated us in this way. Every man of
the excellent crew showed us kindness and goodwill in
every way. I cannot think of them — of the little steward
for instance, when he popped his head into the cabin to
ask what he could get for us, or wakened me in the
morning with his cheery voice, or sang his songs for
us — without a feeling of unspeakable well-being and
happiness. Then, too, we were continually drawing
nearer home ; we could count the days and hours that
must pass before we could reach a Norwegian port, and
be once more in communication with the world.
From the experience he had had on the northward
voyage, Captain Brown had come to the conclusion that
he would find his way out of the ice most easily by first
steering in a south-easterly direction towards Novaya
Zemlya, which he thought would be the nearest way to
the open sea. This proved also to be exactly the case.
After having gone about 220 knots through the ice, we
came into the open sea at the end of a long bay, which
ran northwards into the ice. It was just at the right
spot ; had we been a little farther east or a little farther
502 Chapter IX.
west, we might have spent as many weeks drifting about
in the ice, as we now spent days in it. Once more we
saw the blue ocean itself in front of us, and we shaped
our course straight for Vardo. It was an indescribably
delightful feeling once more to gaze over the blue
expanse, as we paced up and down the deck, and were
day by day carried nearer home. One morning, as we
stood looking over the sea, our gaze was arrested by
something ; what could that be away on the horizon ?
We ran on to the bridge and looked through the glass.
The first sail. Fancy being once more in waters where
other people went to and fro ! But it was far away ; we
could not go to it. Then we saw more, and later in the
day four great monsters ahead. They were British men-
of-war, probably on their way home after having been at
Vadso for the eclipse of the sun, which was to have taken
place on August 9th. Later in the evening (August 1 2th)
I saw something dark ahead, low down on the horizon.
What was it ? I saw it on the starboard bow, stretching
low and even towards the south. I looked again and
again. It was land, it was Norway ! I stood as if
turned to stone, and gazed and gazed out into the night
at this same dark line, and a fear began to tremble
in my breast. What were the tidings that awaited me
there ?
When I came on deck next morning we were close
under the land. It was a bare and naked shore we had
come up to, scarcely more inviting than the land we had
The Journey Southwards. 503
left up in the mist of the Arctic Ocean — but it was
Norway. The captain had mistaken the coast in the
night and had come in too far north, and we were still to
have some labour in beating down against wind and sea,
before we could reach Vardo. We passed several
vessels, and dipped our flag to them. We passed the
revenue cutter ; she came alongside, but they had
nothing to do there, and no one came on board. Then
came pilots, father and son. They greeted Brown, but
were not prepared to meet a countryman on board an
English vessel. They were a little surprised to hear me
speak Norwegian, but did not pay much attention to
it. But when Brown asked them if they knew who
I was, the old man gazed at me again, and a gleam,
as it were, of a possible recognition crept over his
face. But when the name Nansen dropped from
the lips of the warm-hearted Brown, as he took the old
man by the shoulders and shook him in his delight at
being able to give him such news, an expression came
into the old pilot's weather-beaten face, a mixture of joy
and petrified astonishment, which was indescribable.
He seized my hand, and wished me welcome back to
life ; the people here at home had long ago laid me in
my grave. And then came questions as to news from
the expedition, and news from home. Nothing had yet
been heard of the Fram, and a load was lifted from my
breast, when I knew that those at home had been spared
that anxiety.
504 Chapter IX.
Then, silently and unobserved, the Windward glided,
with colours flying, into Vardo Haven. Before the anchor
was dropped, I was in a boat with Johansen on our way
to the telegraph station. We put in at the quay, but
there was still so much of our former piratical appear-
ance left that no one recognised us ; they scarcely looked
at us, and the only being that took any notice of the
returned wanderers was an intelligent cow, which stopped
in the middle of a narrow street, and stared at us in
astonishment, as we tried to pass. That cow was so
delightfully summery to look at that I felt inclined to go
up and pat her ; I felt now that I really was in Norway.
When I got to the telegraph-station I laid a huge
bundle down on the counter, and said that it consisted
of telegrams that I should like to have sent as soon
as possible. There were nearly a hundred of them,
one or two rather long, of about a thousand words
each.
The head of the telegraph office looked hard at me,
and quietly took up the bundle ; but as his eye fell
upon the signature of the telegram that lay on the top,
his face suddenly changed, he wheeled sharp round,
and went over to the lady clerk who was sitting at the
table. When he again turned and came towards me his
face was radiant, and he bade me a hearty welcome. The
telegrams should be despatched as quickly as possible, he
said ; but it would take several days and nights to get them
all through. And then the instrument began to tick and
The Journey Southwards. 505
tick, and to send through the country and the world the
news that two members of the Norwegian Polar Expedi-
tion had returned safe and sound, and that I expected
the Fram home in the course of the autumn. I pitied
the four young ladies in the telegraph office at Vardo ;
they had hard work of it during the following days.
Not only had all my telegrams to be despatched, but
hundreds streamed in from the south — both to us and
to people in the town, begging them to obtain informa-
tion about us. Amongst the first were telegrams to my
wife, to the King of Norway, and to the Norwegian
Government. The last ran as follows : —
"To His Excellency Secretary Hagerup :
" I have the pleasure of announcing to you and to
the Norwegian Government that the Expedition has
carried out its plan, has traversed the unknown Polar
Sea from north of the New Siberian Islands, and has
explored the region north of Franz Josef Land as far as
86° 14 N. lat. No land was seen north of 82°.
" Lieutenant Johansen and I left the Fram and the
other members of the Expedition on March 14th, 1895,
in 84° N. lat. and 102° 27' E. long. We went northward
to explore the sea north of the Frams course, and then
came south to Franz Josef Land, whence the Wind-
ward has now brought us.
'' I expect the Fram to return this year.
" Fridtjof Nansen.
5o6 Chapter IX.
As I was leaving the telegraph-office, the manager
told me that my friend Professor Mohn was in the town,
staying, he understood, at the hotel. Strange that Mohn,
a man so intimately connected with the expedition,
should be the first friend I was to meet ! Even while
we were handing in our telegrams, the news of our
arrival had begun to filter through the town, and
people were gradually flocking together to see the
two Polar bears who strode through the streets to
the hotel. I rushed in and enquired for Mohn. He
was in his room, number so and so, they told me ;
but he was taking his siesta. I had no respect for
siestas at that moment ; I thundered at the door and
tore it open. There lay Mohn on the sofa, reading,
with a long pipe in his mouth. He started up and
stared fixedly, like a madman, at the long figure standing
on the threshold ; his pipe fell to the ground, his face
twitched, and then he burst out : '' Can it be true ? Is
it Fridtjof Nansen ? " I believe he was alarmed about
himself, thinking he had seen an apparition ; but when
he heard my well-known voice, the tears came to his
eyes, and crying, '' Thank God, you're still alive ! " he
rushed into my arms. Then came Johansen's turn.
It was a moment of wild rejoicing, and numberless were
the questions asked and answered on both sides. As
one thing after another came into our heads, the
questions rained around without coherence and almost
without meaning. The whole thing seemed so incredible
The Journey Southwards. 507
that a long- time passed before we even collected
ourselves sufficiently to sit down, and I could tell him
in a somewhat more connected fashion what experiences
we had gone through during these three years. But
where was the Fram ? Had we left her ? Where
were the others ? Was anything amiss '^. These questions
poured forth with breathless anxiety, and it was no
doubt the hardest thingf of all to understand that there
was nothing amiss, and yet that we had left our splendid
ship. But, little by little, even that became compre-
hensible ; and then all was rejoicing, and champagne and
cigars presently appeared on the scene. Another
acquaintance from the south was also in the hotel ; he
came in to speak to Mohn ; but seeing that he had
visitors, was on the point of going again. Then he
stopped, stared at us, discovered who the visitors were,
and stood as though nailed to the spot ; and then we all
drank to the Expedition and to Norway. It was clear
that we must stop there that evening, and we sat the
whole afternoon talking and talking without a pause.
But meanwhile the whole town had learnt the names of
its newly-arrived guests, and when we looked out of the
window the street was full of people, and from all the
flagstaffs over the town, and from all the masts in the
harbour, the Norwegian flag waved in the evening
sunshine. And then came telegrams in torrents, all of
them bringing good news. Now all our troubles were
over. Only the arrival of the Fram was wanting to
5o8 Chapter IX.
complete things ; but we were quite at ease about her ;
she would soon turn up. The first thing we had to do,
now that we were on Norwegian soil, and could look
about us a little, was to replenish our wardrobe. But
it was now no joke to make our way through the streets,
and if we went into a shop, it was soon overflowing with
people.
Thus we spent some never-to-be-forgotten days in
Vardo, and the hospitality with which we met was lavish
and cordial. After we had said good-bye to our hosts
on board the Windward and thanked them for all the
kindness they had shown us, Captain Brown weighed
anchor on the morning of Sunday, the i6th, to go on to
Hammerfest. He wanted to pay his respects to my
wife, who was to meet us there. On August 21st
Johansen and I arrived at Hammerfest. Everywhere
on the way people had greeted us with flowers and flags,
and now, as we sailed into its harbour, the northernmost
town in Norway was in festal array from the sea to the
highest hill-top, and thousands of people were afoot. To
my surprise, I also met here my old friend, Sir George
Baden- Powell, whose fine yacht, the Otaria, was in the
harbour. He had just returned from a very successful
scientific expedition to Novaya Zemlya, where he had
been with several English astronomers to observe the
solar eclipse of August 9th. With true English hospi-
tality, he placed his yacht entirely at my disposal,
and I willingly accepted his generous invitation.
The Journey Southwards.
509
Sir George Baden-Powell was one of the last people
I had seen in England. When we parted — it was
in the autumn of 1892 — he asked me where fwe
ought to be looked for if we were too long away. I
answered that it would be of little use to look for us — it
»
1
i
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^^^^^^^H
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I
JrBI
1
BBj^^v
• aSSS^sE^^ *^C-*'-i»flH?CTBBMi^^^^^M^^^^M
ARRIVAL AT HAMMERFEST
would be like searching for a needle in a hay-stack. He
told me I must not think that people would be content
to sit still and do nothing. In England, at any rate, he
was sure that something would be done — and where ought
they to go? "Well,'* I replied, "I can scarcely think
5IO Chapter IX.
of any other place than Franz Josef Land ; for if the
Fram goes to the bottom, or we are obliged to abandon
her, we must come out that way. If the Fram does not
go to the bottom, and the drift is as I believe it to be,
we shall reach the open sea between Spitzbergen and
Greenland." Sir George now thought that the time had
come to look for us, and since he could not do more for
the present, it was his intention, after having carried out
his expedition to Novaya Zemlya, to skirt along the edge
of the ice, and see if he could not pick up any news of
us. Then, just at the right moment, we made our
appearance at Hammerfest. In the evening, my wife
arrived, and my secretary, Christofersen ; and after
having attended a brilliant fete given that night by the
town of Hammerfest in our honour, we took up our
quarters on board the Otaria, where the days now
glided past so smoothly that we scarcely noticed the
lapse of time. Telegrams of congratulation, and testi-
monies of goodwill and hearty rejoicing, arrived in an
unbroken stream from all quarters of the world.
But the Fram ? I had telegraphed confidently
that I expected her home this year ; but why had she
not already arrived ? I began more and more to
think over this, and the more I calculated all chances
and possibilities, the more firmly was I convinced that
she ought to be out of the ice by this time, if nothing
had gone amiss. It was strange that she was not
already here, and I thought with horror that if the
The Journey Southwards. 511
autumn should pass without news of her, the coming
winter and summer would be anything but pleasant.
Just as I had turned out on the morning of
August 20th, Sir George knocked at my door and
said there was a man there who insisted on speaking
to me. I answered that I wasn't dressed yet, but that
I would come immediately. **Oh, that doesn't matter,"
said he, ''come as you are." I was a little surprised at
all this urgency, and asked what it was all about. He
said he did not know, but it was evidently something
pressing. I nevertheless put on my clothes, and then
went out into the saloon. There stood a gentleman
with a telegram in his hand, who introduced himself
as the head of the telegraph office, and said that he
had a telegram to deliver to me which he thought would
interest me, so he had come with it himself. Something
that would interest me ? There was only one thing left
in the world that could really interest me. With trembling
hands I tore open the telegram : —
'' Fridtjof Nansen.
*' Fravt arrived in good condition. All well on board.
Shall start at once for Tromso. Welcome home.
'* Otto Sverdrup."
I felt as if I should have choked, and all I could say was,
" The Fram has arrived ! " Sir George, who was standing
by, gave a great leap of joy ; Johansen's face was radiant ;
512 Chapter IX.
Christofersen was quite overcome with gladness ; and
there in the midst of us stood the head of the
telegraph office, enjoying the effect he had produced.
In an instant I dashed into my cabin to shout to my wife
that the Fram had arrived ; she was dressed and out in
double quick time. But I could scarcely believe it — it
seemed like a fairy tale. I read the telegram again and
again before I could assure myself that it was not all a
dream ; and then there came a strange, serene happiness
over my mind such as I had never known before.
There was jubilation on board and over all the harbour
and town. From the Windward, which was just weigh-
ing anchor to precede us to Tromso, we heard ringing
cheers for the Frmn and the Norwegian flag. We had
intended to start for Tromso that afternoon, but now we
agreed to get under weigh as quickly as possible, so as
to try to overtake the Fram at Skjaervo, which lay just
on our route. I attempted to stop her by a telegram
to Sverdrup, but it arrived too late.
It was a lively breakfast we had that morning.
Johansen and I spoke of how incredible it seemed that
we should soon press our comrades' hands again. Sir
George was almost beside himself with joy ; every now
and then he would spring up from his chair, thump the
table, and cry : " The Fram has arrived ! The Fram
has really arrived ! " Lady Baden- Powell was quietly
happy ; she enjoyed our joy.
The next day we entered Tromso harbour, and there
THE WINDWARD LEAVING TROMSO.
The Journey Southwards. 513
lay the Fj^am, strong and broad and weather-beaten. It
was strange to see again that high rigging and the hull
we knew so well. When last we saw her she was half
buried in the ice ; nov/ she floated freely and proudly on
the blue sea, in Norwegian waters. We glided alongside
of her. The crew of the Otaria greeted the gallant ship
with three times three English cheers, and the Fram
replied with a nine-fold Norwegian hurrah. We dropped
our anchor, and the next moment the Otaria was boarded
by the Franis sturdy crew.
The meeting which followed I shall not attempt to
describe. I don't think any of us knew anything clearly,
except that we were all together again — we were in
Norway — and the expedition had fulfilled its task.
Then we set off together southward alono^ the
Norwegian coast. First came the tug Haalogaland,
chartered by the Government, then the Fram, heavy and
slow, but so much the surer, and last the elegant Otaria,
with my wife and me on board — which was to take us to
Trondhjem. What a blessed sensation it was to sit in peace
at last, and see others take the lead and pick out the way.
Wherever we passed, the heart of the Norwegian
people went out to us, from the steamers crowded
with holiday-making townsfolk, and from the poorest
fishing-boat that lay alone among the skerries. It
seemed as if old Mother Norway were proud of us,
as if she pressed us in a close and warm embrace,
and thanked us for what we had done. And what was
VOL. II. 2 L
514 Chapter IX.
it, after all ? We had only done our duty, we had
simply accomplished the task we had undertaken, and it
was we who owed her thanks for the right to sail under
her flag. I remember one morning in particular. It
was in Bronosund — the morning was still grey and chill
when I was called up — there were so many people who
wanted to greet us. I was half asleep when I came on
deck. The whole sound was crowded with boats. We
had been going slowly through them, but now the
Haalogaland in front put on more speed, and we too
went a little quicker. A fisherman in his boat toiled at
the oars to keep up with us ; it was no easy work.
Then he shouted up to me :
" You don't want to buy any fish, do you ? "
'* No, I don't think we do."
" I suppose you can't tell me where Nansen is ? Is he
on board the Fram ?
" No, I believe he's on board this ship," was the reply.
" Oh, I wonder if I couldn't get on board ? I'm so
desperately anxious to see him."
** It can hardly be done, I'm afraid ; they haven't time
to stop now."
'' That's a pity. I want to see the man himself"
He went on rowing. It became harder and harder to
keep up, but he stared fixedly at me as I leant on the
rail smiling, while Christofersen stood laughing at my side.
*' Since you're so anxious to see the man himself, I
may tell you that you see him now," said I.
The Journey Southwards. 515
"Is it you ! Is it you ! Didn't I guess as much
Welcome home again ! "
And thereupon the fisherman dropped his oars, stood
up in his boat, and took off his cap. As we went on
through the splendour of the morning, and I sat on the
deck of the luxurious English yacht, and saw the beauti-
ful barren coast stretching ahead in the sunshine, I
realised to the full for the first time how near this land
and this people lay to my heart. If we had sent a single
gleam of sunlight over their lives, these three years had
not been wasted.
This Norway, this Norway ....
It is dear to us, so dear,
And no people has a fairer land than this our homeland here.
Oh, the shepherding in spring,
When the birds begin to sing,
When the mountain-peak glitters and green grows the lea,
And the turbulent river sweeps brown to the sea . . .
Whoso knows Norway must well understand
How her sons can suffer for such a land.
One felt all the vitality and vigour throbbing in this
people, and saw as in a vision its great and rich future,
when all its prisoned forces shall be unfettered and set free.
Now one had returned to life, and it stretched before
one full of light and hope. Then came the evenings
when the sun sank far out behind the blue sea, and the
clear melancholy of autumn lay over the face of the
waters. It was too beautiful to believe in. A feeling of
dread came over one ; but the silhouette of a woman's
2 L 2
5i6 Chapter IX.
form, standing out against the glow of the evening sky,
gave peace and security.
So we passed from town to town, from fete to fete,
along the coast of Norway. It was on September 9th
that the Fram steamed up Christiania Fjord and met
with a reception such as a prince might have envied.
The stout old men-of-war, Nordstjernen and Elida, the
new and elegant Valkyrie, and the nimble little torpedo-
boats, led the way for us. Steamboats swarmed around
all black with people. There were flags high and low,
salutes, hurrahs, waving of handkerchiefs and hats,
radiant faces everywhere, the whole fjord one multi-
tudinous welcome. There lay home, and the well-known
strand before it, glittering and smiling in the sunshine.
Then steamers on steamers again, shouts after shouts ;
and we all stood hat in hand bowing as they cheered.
The whole of Peppervik was one mass of boats and
people and flags and waving pennants. Then the men-
of-war saluted with thirteen guns apiece, and the old fort
of Akershus followed with its thirteen peals of thunder,
that echoed from the hills around.
In the evening I stood on the strand out by the fjord.
The echoes had died away, and the pine woods stood
silent and dark around. On the headland the last embers
of a bonfire of welcome still smouldered and smoked, and
the sea rippling at my feet seemed to whisper : '' Now
you are at home." The deep peace of the autumn
evening sank beneficently over the weary spirit.
The Journey Southwards.
517
I could not but recall that rainy morning in June when
I last set foot on this strand. More than three years
had passed ; we had toiled and we had sown, and now
the harvest had come. In my heart I sobbed and wept
for joy and thankfulness.
The ice and the long moonlit polar nights, with all
their yearning, seemed like a far-off dream from another
world — a dream that had come and passed away. But
what would life be worth without its dreams ?
The Mean Temperature of Every Month During Nansen
AND Johansen's Sledge Journey.
Mean
Date.
Temperature
(Fahr.).
Maximum.
Minimum.
March (16-31
) 1895
0
-37
- 9
-51
April
1895 •
— 20
— 2
-35
May
1895 .
— 24
28
— II
June
1895 .
30
38
9
July
1895 .
32
37
28
August
1895 .
29
36
19
September
1895 .
20
41
- 4
October
1895 .
— I
16
— 13
November
1895 .
- 13
10
-35
December
1895 .
- 13
12
-37
January
1896 .
— 14
19
-46
February
1896 .
— 10
30
— 40
March
1896 .
10
30
-29
April
1896 .
8
27
- 16
May
1896 .
18
43
— II
June (1-16)
1896 .
29
39
23
5i8
ORIGINAL MAP |
Qfthe
KAISER FRANZ JOSEF LAND
sunrtyed by j
JUL,1US«--PAYER. i
Explanation.
- ' •■ i 1 ■ Open. Wute,
52 53 54 ^5 56 57 58 '59 60
\'=' y Ie«Jfiunmoek0w%A./cc6etys
62 ^ 63 64 65 • 1
REPORT OF CAPTAIN OTTO SVERDRUP
ON THE DRIFTING OF THE FRAM
FROM MARCH 14TH, 1895.
CHAPTER I.
March 15TH to June 22nd, 1895.
As far back as February 26th, Dr. Nansen had officially
informed the crew that after he left the ship I was to
be chief officer of the expedition, and Lieutenant Scott-
Hansen second in command. Before starting, he handed
me a letter, or set of instructions, which has been men-
tioned earlier in the volume.^
The day after that on^which the postscript to my
instructions is dated, i.e., on Thursday, March 14th, at
11.30 a.m.. Dr. Nansen and Johansen left the Fram and
set forth on their sledge expedition. We gave them a
parting salute with flag, pennant, and guns. Scott-
Hansen, Henriksen, and Pettersen accompanied them as
far as the first camping-place, 7 or 8 miles from the
vessel, and returned the next day at 2.30 p.m.
* Vide^y^. 73 and 88, Vol. II.
520 Chapter I.
In the morning they had helped to harness the dogs
and put them to the three sledges. In the team of the
last sledge there were *' Barnet " and " Pan," who all the
time had been mortal enemies."^ They began to fight,
and Henriksen had to give '* Barnet" a good thrashing
in order to part him from the other. In consequence of
this fight the last team was somewhat behind in starting.
The other dogs were all the while hauling with all their
might, and when the thrashing scene was over, and the
disturbers of the peace suddenly commenced to pull, the
sledge started off faster than Johansen had calculated,
and he was left behind and had to strike out well on his
snowshoes. Scott- Hansen and the others followed the
sledging party with their eyes until they looked like
little black dots far, far away on the boundless plain of
ice. With a last sad lingering look after the two whom,
perhaps, they might never see again, they put on their
snowshoes and started on their journey back.
At the time when the sledge expedition started the
Fram lay in 84° 4' N. lat. and 102° E. long. The
situation was briefly as follows : — The vessel was ice-
bound in about 25 feet of ice, with a slight list to
starboard. She had thus a layer of ice, several feet in
thickness, underneath her keel. Piled high against the
vessel's side, to port, along her entire length, there
■^ Little " Barnet," who weighed only 38 lbs., and was one of the
smallest of the dogs, was a regular fighter, and, as a rule, the aggressor.
March 15th to June 22nd, 1895. 521
extended from S.S.E. to N.N.W., a pressure-ridge,
reaching up to about the height of the rail on the half-
deck aft and slanting slightly eastward from the ship.
At a distance of about 160 yards to the north-west there
extended in the direction from south to north a long and
fairly broad ice-mound, the so-called '' great hummock,"
as much as 22 feet high in places. Midway between
the Fram and the " great hummock " there was a newly-
formed open lane about 50 yards wide, while across her
bow, at a distance of 50 yards, there was an old channel
that had been closed up by the ice-pressure, but which
opened later on in the spring.
Upon the ''great hummock," which had been formed
by the violent ice-pressure on January 27th, 1894, we
had established our depot, on the slope looking towards
the ship. The depot, consisted of piled-up tin boxes
containing provisions and other necessaries, and formed
six or seven small mounds covered with sail-cloth.
Moreover our snowshoes and sledges were stored there.
Half-way between the vessel and the great hummock
lay the petroleum-launch which, when the new channel
or rift had opened right under her, had to be drawn a
little way further out on to the ice. Finally there was
our forge. This was situated about 30 yards off, a little
abaft the port quarter, and was hewn out in the slope of
the above-mentioned pressure-ridge, the roof being made
of a quantity of spars over which blocks of ice were
piled, with a layer of snow on the top, all frozen together
522 Chapter I.
so as to form a compact mass. A tarpaulin served in
place of a door.
The first and most pressing work which we had to
take in hand was to remove part of the high pressure-
ridge on the port side. I was afraid that if the ice-
pressure continued the vessel might be forced down
instead of upwards while she had so high a ridge of ice
resting against the whole of her port side. The work
was commenced by all hands on March 19th. We had
five sledges, with a box on each, and each worked by
two men. There were two parties at work simultaneously
with one sledge each — forward, and two parties aft —
working towards each other, while the fifth party of two
men with one sledge were cutting a passage 13 feet
wide, right up to the middle of the vessel. The layer of
ice which was in this way removed from all along the
vessel's side reached to double the height of a man,
except in the central passage, where it had previously
been removed to a depth of about 3 yards, partly in
view of possible ice-pressure against this, the lowest
part of the hull, and partly in order to clear the gangway,
by which the dogs passed to and from the vessel.
The carting away of ice commenced on March 19th,
and concluded on the 27th. The whole of the pressure-
ridge on the port side was removed down to such a
depth that two-and-a-half planks of the ship's ice-skin
were free. All the time while this work was going on,
the weather was fairly cold, the temperature down to
March 15th to June 22nd, 1895. 523
T,S and —40° C. (— 36*4° and —40° Fahr.). How-
ever, all passed off well and successfully, except that
Scott- Hansen was unfortunate enough to have one of
his big toes frozen.
The doctor and I were together at the same sledge.
My diary says : — '' He always suspected me of being out
of temper, and I him." As a matter of fact, it is my
habit to dislike talking when I am busy with any work,
while the reverse is the case with the doctor. As, accord-
ing to my custom, I kept silence, the doctor believed
that I was in a bad humour, and in the same way I
fancied that he was in the sulks, because he abstained
from chatting. But the misunderstanding was soon
cleared up, and we laughed heartily at it.
As Dr. Nansen's and Johansen's departure afforded an
opportunity for a more comfortable redistribution of
quarters, I moved into Nansen's cabin, after having packed
in cases the effects he left behind, and stowed them away
in the fore-hold. Jacobsen, the mate, who was formerly
quartered with four of the crew in the large cabin on the
port-side, had my cabin allotted to him; and in the star-
board cabin, where four men had been quartered, there
were now only three. The work-room, too, was restored
to its former honour and dignity. The lamp-glasses of
the oil-stove there had got broken in the course of the
year. "^ Amundsen now replaced these with chimneys of
tin, and fitted thin sheets of mica over the peepholes.
The stove having thus [been repaired the work-room
524 Chapter I.
became the busiest and most comfortable compartment in
the whole vessel.
After the various operations of shifting and putting in
order the things on board and in the depot, our next
care was to ensure easy and convenient access to the
vessel by constructing a proper gangway aft, consisting of
two spars with packing-case planks nailed between them,
and a rope hand-rail attached.
When all this was done, we set to work at the long
and manifold preparations of every kind for a sledge
journey southward, in the event (which, as a matter of
fact, none of us considered likely) of our being obliged to
abandon the Fram. We constructed sledges and kayaks,
sewed bags for our stores, selected and weighed out
provisions and other necessaries, etc., etc. This work
kept us busy for a long time.
In addition to all the other things we had to provide
ourselves with more snowshoes, as we were scantily
supplied with them. Snowshoes we micsl have, good
strong ones, at least one pair to every man. But where
were the materials to come from } There w^as no more
wood fit for making snowshoes to be found on board.
It is true that we had a large piece of oak-timber left
available, but we were in need of a suitable instrument to
split it with, as it could not be cut up with the small saws
we had on board. In our dilemma we had recourse to
the ice-saw. Amundsen converted it (by filing it in a
different way) into a rip-saw ; Bentzen made handles
March 15th to June 22nd, 1895. 525
for it ; and as soon as it was ready, Mogstad and
Henriksen commenced to saw the beam of oak to pieces.
At first the work went slowly, most of the time being
taken up with filing and setting the saw ; but gradually
it went better, and on April 6th the timber was cut up
into six pairs of good boards for making snowshoes,
which were temporarily deposited in the saloon for
drying, x^s I consider Canadian snowshoes superior to
Norwegian snowshoes, when it is a question of hauling
heavily-loaded sledges over such a rough and uneven
surface as is presented by Polar ice, I directed Mogstad
to make ten Canadian pairs of maple-wood, of which
we had a quantity on board. Instead of the netting
of reindeer-skin, we stretched sail-cloth over the frames.
This did the same service as network, while it had the
advantage of being easier to repair. With the snow-
shoes which we had we undertook frequent excursions,
more particularly Scott- Hansen and myself. While out
on one of these trips, on which Amundsen, Nordahl, and
Pettersen also accompanied us, 3 miles west of the vessel
we came across a large hummock, which we named
" Lovunden," on account of its resemblance to the island
" Lovunden," off the coast of Helgeland. This hum-
mock presented very good snowshoeing slopes and we
practised there to our heart's content.
On May ist we had finished the snowshoes intended
for daily use, and I gave orders that, henceforth, daily
snowshoe trips should be made by all hands from
526 Chapter I.
II a.m. till I p.m., if the weather was good. These
snowshoe runs were to everybody's taste, and were
necessary, not only in order to afford brisk exercise in
the open air, but also in order to impart to those
who were less accustomed to snowshoes, a sufficient
degree of skill in the event of our having to abandon the
Fra7n.
While the removal of the ridge was proceeding, there
CDntinued to be a good deal of disturbance in the ice.
Twenty yards from the vessel, a new lane was formed
running parallel to the old one between us from the
depot ; and in addition to this a number of larger or
smaller cracks had opened in all directions. A little
later on, during the time from April iith to May 9th,
there was on the whole considerable disturbance in the
ice, with several violent pressures in the lanes around the
vessel. On the first-mentioned day, in the evening,.
Scott- Hansen and I took a snowshoe trip towards the
north-east, along the new channel between the vessel
and the depot. On our way back pressure set in in
the channel, and we had an opportunity of witnessing
a "screwing" such as I had never seen equalled. First
there was quite a narow channel, running parallel to the
principal channel, which was covered over with young
ice about 2 feet thick. Thereupon a larger channel
opened just beyond the first and running alongside it.
During the pressure which then followed, the edges-
crashed against each other with such violence as to-
1
March 15th to June 22nd, 1895. 5^7
force the ice down, so that we frequently saw it from
3 to 4 fathoms deep under water.
Newly-frozen sea-ice is marvellously elastic, and will
bend to an astonishing degree without breaking. In
another place we saw how the new ice had bulged up in
large wave-like eminences, without breaking.
On May 5 th the wide lane aft was jammed up by ice-
pressure, and in its stead a rift was formed in the ice on
the port side about 100 yards from us, and approximately
parallel to the ship. Thus we now lay in an altered
position, inasmuch as the Fram was no longer connected
with and dependent on one solid and continuous ice-field,
but separated from it by more or less open channels and
attached to a large floe which was daily decreasing in
size as new cracks were formed.
The principal channel aft of the vessel continued to
open out during the latter part of April, and on the 29th
had become very wide. It extended north as far as the
eye could reach, and was conspicuous, moreover, by
reason of the dark reflection which seemed to hover
above it in the sky. It probably attained its maximum
width on May ist, when Scott- Hansen and I measured
it and found that just astern of the vessel it was 975
yards, and further north over 1,500 yards (1,432 metres)
in width. Had the Fram been loose at the time I
should have gone north in the channel as far as possible,
but this was not to be thought of, seeing how the ship
had been raised up on, and walled in by, the ice.
528 Chapter I.
No later than May 2nd the principal channel closed
up again. The mate, Nordahl, and Amundsen, who
just then happened to be out on a snowshoe trip
south along the channel, were eye-witnesses of the^
jamming of the ice, which they described as having been!
a grand sight. The fresh south-easterly wind had
imparted a considerable impetus to the ice, and when the
edges of the ice approached each other with considerable
velocity and force, two large projecting tongues firstj
came into collision with a crash like thunder, and in a
moment were forced up in a hummock about 20 feet
high, only to collapse soon after, and disappear with
equal suddenness under the edge of the ice. Wherever
the ice was not forced up into the air, the one ice-edge
would slide over or under the other, while all the
projecting tongues and blocks of ice wxre crushed to
thousands of fragments which filled up, pretty evenly,
any small crevices still remaining of what had before
been such a mighty opening.
Our drift towards the north, during the first month,
was almost nil. For instance, on April 19th we had
not advanced more than 4 minutes of latitude (about
4 miles), to the north. Nor did we drift much to the
west in the same period. Later on w^e made better
headway, but not, by a long way, as much as in 1894.
On May 23rd I wrote in the Journal as follow^s : "We
are all very anxious to see what will be the nett result of
our spring drift. If we could reach 60° E. long, by the
March 15th to June 22nd, 1895. 529
summer or autumn, I believe we could be certain to get
back home about the autumn of 1896. The spring
drift, this year, is considerably less strong than last year,
but perhaps it may continue longer into the summer.
If we were to drift this year as far as last, during the
time from May i6th to June i6th, we should reach
68° E. long., but it will not be possible now to
reach that longitude so early. Possibly we may
manage this year to escape the strong back-drift
during the summer, make a little headway instead, and
if so it will be all the better for us. The ice is not
so much cut up by channels this year as it was this time
last year. It is true there are a good many ; but last
year we could scarcely get about at all simply on account
of the lanes. This year we have large sheets of ice
ahead of us in which scarcely any openings are to be
found."
In order to observe the drift of the ice we prepared a
kind of log-line, from 100 to 150 fathoms In length, to
the end of which there was attached a conical open bag
of loosely-woven material, In which small animals could
be caught up. Immediately above the bag a lead was
fitted to the line, so that the bag itself might drag freely
in the water. The log was lowered through a fairly wide
hole in the ice, which it was a most difficult task to keep
open during the cold season. Several times a day the
line was examined and the '' angle of drift " was measured.
For this measurement we had constructed a quadrant
VOL. II. 2 M
530 Chapter I.
fitted with a plumb-line. Now and then we would haul
in the log-line to see whether it was still in order and to
collect whatever the bag might contain in the way of
little animals or other objects. As a rule the contents
were insignificant, consisting only of a few specimens of
low organisms.
At the end of May the '' spring drift " was over. The
wind veered round to the S.W., W. and N.W. The
backdrift or *' summer drift " then set in. However, it
was not of long duration, as by June 8th we again had
an easterly wind with a good drift to the west, so that on
the 22nd we were at 84° 317' N. lat. and 80° 58' E.
long. ; and during the last days of June and the greater
part of July the drift went still better.
A circumstance which helped to increase the monotony
of our drift in the ice during the winter and spring, 1895,
was the great scarcity of animal life in that part of the
Polar Sea. For long periods at a stretch we did not see
a single living thing ; even the Polar bears, who roam so
far, were not to be seen. Hence the appearance in the
afternoon of May 7th of a small seal in a newly-opened
lane, close by the vessel, was hailed with universal
delight. It was the first seal that we had set eyes upon
since March. Subsequently we often saw seals of the
same kind in the open channels, but they were very shy,
so that it was not until well on in the summer that we
succeeded in killing one, and this was so small that we
ate the whole of it at one meal.
March 15th to June 22nd, 1895. 531
On May 14th, Pettersen told us that he had seen a white
bird, as he thought an ice-gull, flying westward. On the
22nd, Mogstad saw a snow-bunting, which circled round
the vessel, and after this the harbingers of spring became
daily more numerous.
Our hunting bags, however, were very scanty. It was
not until June loth that we secured the first game, when
the doctor succeeded in shooting a fulmar and a kittiwake
{Larus tridadylus). True, he prefaced these exploits by
sundry misses, but in the end he managed to hit the
birds, and "all's well that ends well." As regards the
fulmar it was an exciting chase, as it had only been
winged, and took refuge in the open channel. Pettersen
was the first to go after it, followed by Amundsen, the
Doctor, Scott- Hansen, and the whole pack of dogs, and
at last they managed to secure it.
After this, it was a matter of daily occurrence to see
birds quite near, and in order to be better able to secure
them, and seals to boot, we moored our sealing-boat in
the open channel. This was equipped with a sail, and
with ballast composed of some of the castings from the
wind-mill, which we had been obliged to take down ; and
the very first evening after the boat had been put on the
water, Scott-Hansen, Henriksen, and Bentzen went
for a sail in the channel. The dogs seized this occasion
to take some capital exercise. They took it into their
heads to follow the boat along the edge of the channel,
backwards and forwards as the boat tacked ; it was stiff
2 M 2
532 Chapter I.
work for them to keep always abreast of it, as they
had to make many ddtours round small channels and
bays in the ice, and when at last they had got near
it, panting, and with their tongues protruding far from
their mouths, the boat would go about, and they had to
cover the same ground over again.
On June 20th the Doctor and I shot one black
guillemot each. We also saw some little auks, but
the dogs, entering too eagerly into the sport, as a
welcome break in the prolonged oppressive solitude
and monotony, rushed ahead of us. and scared the birds
away before we could get a shot at them.
As I have already mentioned, the mill had to be taken
down. The shaft broke one fine day below the upper
driving-wheel, and had to be removed and taken to
the forge for repair. Pettersen welded it together again,
and on May 9th the mill was again in sufficiently good
order for use. But it wore out very speedily, more
especially in the gearings, so that, after the first week or
two in June, it was almost useless. We therefore pulled
it down, and stowed away all wooden parts and castings
on the ridge on the port side, except portions of hard
wood, which we kept on board, and found very useful
for making up into sledge shafts and other things.
The weather was good all through March, April, and
May, with mild easterly breezes or calms, and, as a rule,
a clear atmosphere. Once or twice the wind veered
round to the south or west, but these changes were
March 15th to June 22nd, 1895. 533
Invariably of short duration. This settled calm weather
at last became quite a trial to us, as it contributed in a
great measure to increase the dreariness and monotony
of the scene around us, and had a depressing effect on
our spirits. Matters improved a little towards the end
of May, when for a time we had a fresh westerly breeze.
To be sure this was a contrary wind, but it was, at any
rate, a little change. On June 8th the wind veered
round to the east again, and now increased in strength,
so that on Sunday, the 9th, we had half a gale
from the E.S.E., with a velocity of 33 feet per second,
being the strongest fair wind we had had for a long
time.
It was astonishing what a change a single day of fair
wind would work in the spirits of all on board. Those
who previously moved about dreamily and listlessly, now
awakened to fresh courage and enterprise. Every face
beamed with satisfaction. Previously our daily inter-
course consisted of the monosyllables, '' Yes " and " No " ;
now we were brimming over with jokes and fun from
morning to night ; laughter and song, and lively chat was
heard all around. And with our spirits rose our hopes for
a favourable drift. The chart was brought out again and
again, and the forecasts made were apt to be sanguine
enough. ''If the wind keeps long in this quarter we
shall be at such and such a spot on such and such a day.
It is as clear as daylight we shall be home some time in
the autumn of 1896. Just see how we have drifted up
534 Chapter I.
to now, and the further we get west the faster we shall
go," and so forth.
The cold which in the middle of March did not exceed
—40° C, kept steadily at from —30° C. ( — 22° F.) to
— 25° C. (—13° F.) during April, but it decreased at
a comparatively rapid rate in May, so that by about
the middle of the month the thermometer registered
— 14°, and in the latter part only —6°. On June 3rd
— so far the warmest day — a large pond of water had
formed close to the vessel, although the highest tem-
perature attained that day was —2°, and the weather
was overcast/'''
On June 5th the thermometer for the first time stood
above freezing-point, viz., at +0*2°. It then fell again
for a few days, going down to — 6°, but on the 1 1 th it
rose again to about 2° above freezing-point, and so on.
The amount of atmospheric moisture deposited during*
the above-mentioned period was most insignificant ; only
a very slight snowfall now and then. However, Thurs-
day, June 6th, was an exception. The wind, which for
* On April i8th, when the doctor and I were out looking for a
suitable piece of ice for determining the specific gravity of the ice, we
observed a remarkable drop of water hanging under a projecting corner
of a large block of ice, reared up high by pressure. There it hung, in
the shade, quivering in the fresh breeze, although the thermometer
registered about — 23° of frost. " That must be very salt," I said, and
tasted it — "Phew!" It was salt in very truth — rank salt, like the
strongest brine.
March 15th to June 22nd, 1895. 535
several days had been blowing from the south and west,
veered round to the north-west during the night, and at
8 a.m. next morning it changed to the north, blowing a
fresh breeze, with an exceptionally heavy snowfall.
We saw the midnight-sun for the first time during the
night of April 2nd.
One of the scientific tasks of the expedition was to
investigate the depth of the Polar Sea. Our lines, which
were weak and not very suitable for this purpose, were
soon so worn by friction, corrosion, oxidation, etc., that
we were compelled not only to use them most cautiously,
but also to limit the number of soundings far more than
was desirable. It sometimes happened that the line
would break while being hauled in, so that a good deal
of it was lost.
The first sounding after the departure of Dr. Nansen
and Johansen was taken on April 23rd. We thought
we should be able to lower away down to 3,000 metres
(1,625 fathoms) in one run, but as the line commenced to
slacken at 1,900 metres (1,029 fathoms) we thought we
had touched bottom and hauled the line up again. As it
appeared that the line had not reached the bottom, we
now let down 3,000 metres of line (1,625 fathoms), but in
doing so we lost about 900 metres of line (487 fathoms).
Accordingly I assumed that we had touched ground at
2,100 metres (1,138 fathoms), and I therefore lowered
the line to that depth without touching bottom. The
next day we took new soundings at depths of 2,100,
53^ Chapter I.
2,300, 2,500, and 3,000 metres respectively (1,137, i'245,
1,353, ''^^^ 1)625 fathoms), but all without touching
bottom. On the third day, April 25th, we sounded first
at 3,000 metres, and then at 3,200 metres (1,625 and 1,733
fathoms) without touching bottom. The steel-line being
too short we had to lengthen it with a hemp-line, and
now went down to 3,400 metres (1,841 fathoms). While
hauling up we perceived that the line broke, and found
that, in addition to the 10 fathoms length of hemp-line
we had lost about 275 fathoms of steel-line. We then
stopped taking soundings till July 22nd, as the hemp-
lines were so badly worn that we dared not venture to
use them again until milder weather set in.
Wind and weather were, of course, a favourite topic
on board the Frain, especially in connection with our
drift. As is but dght and proper, we had a weather
prophet on board, to wit, Pettersen. His speciality was
to predict fair wind, and in this respect he was untiring,
although his predictions were by no means invariably
fulfilled. But he also posed as a prophet in other
departments, and nothing seemed to delight him more
than the ofifer of a bet with him on his predictions. If
he won he was beaming with good humour for days at a
stretch, and if he lost he often knew how to shroud both
his forecast and the result in oracular mystery and dark-
ness so that both parties appeared to be right. At times,
as already hinted, he was unlucky, and then he was merci-
lessly chaffed ; but at other times he would have a run
March 15th to June 2 2ncl, 1895, 537
of astounding luck, and then his courage would rise to
such an extent that he was ready to prophecy and bet
about anything.
Among his great misfortunes was a bet made with the
mate on May 4th that we should have land in sight by
the end of October. And on May 24th he made a bet
with Nordahl that by Monday night (the 27th) we
should be at 80° E. long. Needless to say we all
wished that his incredible predictions might come true ;
but alas ! the miracle did not happen, for it was not until
June 27th that the Fram passed the 80th degree of
longitude.
During the later part of May the sun and the spring
weather commenced to disperse the layer of snow around
the vessel to such an extent as to make quite a little
pond of snow water on the ice forward. As at that part
especially, but also all along the side of the vessel, the
snow was full of soot, refuse, and the clearings from the
kennels, it was greatly to be feared that an injurious, or
at any rate, obnoxious smell might arise, and if, besides
this, as was the case last year, a pond should form round
the vessel, the water in it would be too impure to be used
in flushing the deck. I therefore set all hands to work
to cart away the snow from the starboard side — a job
which took about two days.
The setting in of spring now kept us busy with
various things for some time, both on board and on the
ice. One of the first things to be done was to bring our
53^ Chapter I.
depot safely on board, as lanes and rifts were now
forming more frequently in the ice, and some of the
goods in the depot would not bear exposure to damp.
The action of the sun's rays on the awning or tent
soon became so strong that the snow underneath the
boats and on the davits began to melt. All snow and
ice had therefore to be removed or scraped away not
only under the awning but also under the boats, on the
deck-house, in the passage on the starboard side, in the
holds and wherever else it was necessary. In the after-
hold there was much more . ice now than last winter,
probably owing to the fact that we had kept the saloon
much warmer this winter than before.
In the saloon, the library and the cabins we had
a thorough '* spring cleaning." This was very badly
needed, as the ceilings, walls, and all the furniture and
fittings, in the course of the long Polar night, had got
covered with a thick grimy-looking coating composed of
soot, grease, smoke, dust and other ingredients.
I myself took in hand the paintings in the saloon and
in my own cabin, which little by little had assumed the
same dusky ground tint as their surroundings, and on
the whole looked rather enigmatic. By dint of much
labour, and the application of a liberal supply of soap
and water, I succeeded in restoring them to something
like their pristine beauty.
We finished our general clean-up on Whitsun Eve,
June I St, and thus spent a really comfortable Whitsun-
March 15th to June 22nd, 1895. 539
tide with butter-porridge for supper, and a few extra
delicacies afterwards.
After Whitsuntide, we again took in hand various
things required in view of the season, and of the
possibiHty that the Fram might get afloat in the course
of the summer. On the great hummock were many
things I thought might be left there for the present ;
for instance, the greater part of our dogs' food. The
cases containing this were piled up to four different
heights so as to form a sloping roof off which the water
could easily run, and I had the whole covered over with
tarpaulin. The long-boat on the port side, which I
proposed to leave on the ice till the winter, was
deposited in a safe place about 50 yards from the ship,
and provided with sails, rigging, oars, and a full equip-
ment, ready for any emergency.
The scraping away of the ice in the holds and on the
half-deck was finished on June 12th. We tried to cut
the steam-pipe aft (the pipe for rinse-water) out of the
ice, but had to abandon the attempt. One end of this
pipe had been resting ever since last year on the ice, and
it was now so deeply frozen in that we could not release
it. We cut a hole all round it 4 feet deep, but the hole
quickly filled with water, so we left it to the summer
heat to thaw the pipe loose.
So much water commenced to accumulate in the
engine-room about this time that we had to bale out
considerable quantities — certainly 130 gallons per day.
540 Chapter I.
We at first thought that the water was produced by
the thawing of the ice on board, but it subsequently
appeared that it was mainly due to leakages, which
probably arose from the fact that ice forming in the
different layers of the ship's skin forced the planking
somewhat apart.
The state of health continued excellent, and the
doctor had virtually nothing to do in his professional
capacity. In the way of '' casualties" there were only a
few of the most trifling nature, such as a frozen big toe,
a little skin-chafing here and there, a sore eye or two ;
that was all. However, we led a very regular life, with
the 24 hours suitably distributed^ between work, exercise,
and rest. We slept well and fed well, and so we were
very little concerned at the fact that when being weighed
on May 7th we were found to have lost flesh. How-
ever, the falling off was not great ; the aggregate weight
of the whole party was barely 8 lbs. less than the month
before.
There was, however, one complaint that we suffered
from, a contagious one, though not of a dangerous
nature. It became a fashion, or, if you like, a fashionable
complaint, on board the Fram, to shave one's head. It
was said that an infallible method of producing a more
luxuriant growth of hair was to shave away the little hair
that still adorned the head of the patient. Juell first
started it, and then a regular mania set in, the others
following his example one by one, with the exception of
Vi.
March 15th to June 22nd, 1895. 54i
myself and one or two more. Like a cautious general, I
first waited a w^hile to see whether the expected harvest
sprouted on my comrades' shaven polls ; and as the hair
did not seem to grow any stronger than before, I pre-
ferred a recipe ordered by the doctor, viz., to wash the
head daily with soft soap and subsequently rub in an
ointment. To make this treatment more effectual, how-
ever, and let the ointment get at the scalp, I followed the
example of the others and shaved my head several times.
Personally I do not believe that the process did any good,
but Pettersen was of a different opinion. *' The deuce
take me," said he, one day afterwards when cutting my
hair, *' if the Captain hasn't got some jolly strong bristles
on his crown after that treatment."
May 17th brought the finest weather that could be
imagined. A clear, bright sky, dazzling sunshine, 10° to
1 2° of cold and an almost perfect calm. The sun, which
at this time of the year never sets throughout the
24 hours, was already high in the heavens, when at
8 a.m. we were awakened by the firing of a gun and
by joyous strains on the organ. We jumped into our
clothes more speedily than usual, swallowed our break-
fast, and with the liveliest expectation prepared for
what was in store ; for the " Festival Committee " had
been very busy the previous day. Punctually at
1 1 o'clock the various corporations assembled under
their flags and insignia, and were assigned their position
in the grand procession. I marched at the head with the
542
Chapter I.
Norwegian flag. Next came Scott-Hansen with the]
Frarns pennant, and then followed Mogstad with the
banner of the Meteorological Department, richly bedecked!
with "cyclonic centres" and "prospects of fair weather."
He was seated on a box covered with bearskin placed on]
a sledge drawn by seven dogs, the banner waving behim
him on a pole rigged as a mast. Amundsen was No. 4,!
bearing a demonstration banner in favour of " the'
Pure Flag," and he was followed by his esquire, NordahlJ
on snowshoes with a spear in his hand and a rifle slung]
on his back. The flag showed on the red ground]
a picture of an old Norwegian warrior breaking his speai
over his knee, with the inscription " Onward, Onward,
[Fram, Fram ! ] ye Norsemen ! Your own flag in youi
own land. What we do we do for Norway." Fifth inj
the procession came the mate, with the Norwegian Arm*
on a red background, and sixth was Pettersen with the]
flag of the Mechanical Department. Last came th(
"Band" represented by Bentzen with an accordion.
The procession was followed by the public dressed in!
their best, viz., the Doctor, Juell, and Henriksen in!
picturesque confusion.
To the waving of banners and strains of music the^
procession wended its way past the corner of the
University (viz., the Fram) down " Karl Johan's Street "
and " Church Street " (a road laid out by Scott-Hansen
for the occasion across the rift in front and the pressure-
ridge) past Engebret's (the depot on the ice) and then
i
March 15th to June 2 2iid, 1895. 543
wheeled round to the '' Fortification Parade, ""^ viz., the
top of the great hummock, where it stopped and faced
round with flags erect.
There I called for cheers in honour of the festive
occasion, in response to which there rose a ninefold
hurrah from the densely-packed multitude.
At exacdy 12 o'clock the official salute of May 17th
was fired from our big bow guns. Then came a splendid
banquet ; the Doctor had contributed a bottle of aqua
vitse, and every man had a bottle of genuine Crown Malt
Extract, from the '' Royal Brewery" in Copenhagen.
When the roast was served Scott- Hansen proposed
the health of our dear ones at home and of our two
absent comrades, who he hoped might achieve the task
they had set themselves and return home safely. This
toast was accompanied by a salute of two guns.
At 4 p.m. a great popular festival was held on the ice.
The place was prettily decorated with flags and other
emblems, and the programme offered a rich variety of
entertainments. There was rope dancing, gymnastics,
shooting at running hares, and many other items. The
public were in a highly festive mood throughout and
vigorously applauded the artists in all their performances.
After a supper which was not far behind the dinner in
excellence, we gathered at night in the saloon around
* These are well known localities in Christiania — Engebret's being a
restaurant.
544
Chapter I.
a steaming bowl of punch. The Doctor, amid loud
applause, proposed the health of the organising
committee, and I proposed the Fram. After this we
kept it up in the merriest and most cordial spirit until
far into the night.
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CHAPTER II.
June 2 2nd to August 15TH, 1895.
As spring advanced, the disturbance in the ice in-
creased, and new lanes and pools were formed in every
direction. At the same time there was a daily increase
in the number of aquatic animals and birds around us.
On the night of June 22nd I was awakened by the
watch, who told me that there were whales in the lane on
the starboard side. Everyone hurried on deck, and we
now saw that some seven or eicrht female narwhals were
gambolling in the channel close upon us. We fired some
shots at them, but these did not seem to take effect.
Later in the day I went after them in the sealing-boat,
but without getting within range. In order to be able to
give effectual chase, should they, as we hoped, pay us a
visit in the future, we made ready two harpoon-bladders
and an oak anchor, which we attached to the end of the
harpoon line. Should the whale, when harpooned, prove
too strong for us, we would let go the anchor and the
bladders, and if the fates were not against us, we might
be successful.
VOL. II. 2 N
546 Chapter II.
We were quite anxious to try the new apparatus, and
therefore kept a sharp look-out for the whales. One or
two were seen occasionally in the channel, but they
disappeared again so quickly that we had no time to
pursue them. On the evening of July 2nd we had the
prospect of a good hunt. The lane swarmed with
whales, and we quickly started out with the boat in
pursuit. But this time, too, they were so shy that we
could not get at them. One of them remained some
time in a small channel, which was so narrow that we
could throw across it. We attempted to steal on him
along the edge, but as soon as we had got within a short
distance of him he took alarm, and swam out into the
large channel, where he remained rolling about, turning
over on his back for some four or five minutes at a time
with his head above water, puffing away, and positively
jeering at us. When at length we had wearily worked
our way back again to the large channel, intending to
assist him a little in his performances — pop, away he
went.
Some days later we again received a visit from a
troupe of these comedians in another channel newly
formed in close proximity to the vessel. Three of them
had long, heavy tusks, which they now showed high
above the water, and then used to scratch their female
friends on the back with. We immediately prepared
ourselves with rifles and harpoons, and ran towards the
channel as fast as our legs would carry us. But before
j
June 22nd to August 15th, 1895. 547
we got there the beasts had fled. It was of no use
trying to get within range of these shy creatures, so,
after that, as a rule, we allowed them to remain
unmolested.
Once, however, during the spring of 1896, we were
near catching a narwhal. I had been out fowling, and
was just busily taking out of the boat the birds I had
shot, when suddenly a narwhal appeared in the channel
close to our usual landing-place, where the harpoon with
the line attached lay ready for immediate use. I quickly
seized the harpoon, but the coil of line was too short,
and when I had got this right the whale dived below the
water, just as I was ready to harpoon him.
An occasional large seal [Phoca barbata) also appeared
at this time ; we chased them sometimes, but without
success ; they were too shy.
With the fowling our luck was better, and so early as
June 7th we shot so many black guillemots, gulls, fulmars,
and little auks, that we partook on that day of our first meal
of fresh meat during the year. The flesh of these birds
is not, as a rule, valued very much, but we ate it with
ravenous appetite, and found that it had an excellent
flavour — better than the tenderest young ptarmigan.
One day three gulls appeared, and settled down at
some distance from the vessel. Pettersen fired twice at
them and missed, they meanwhile resting calmly on the
snow, and regarding him with intense admiration. Finally
they flew away, accompanied by sundry blessings from
2 N 2
548 Chapter II.
the hunter, who was exasperated at his " mishap," as he
called it. The eye-witnesses of the bombardment had
another idea of the *' mishap," and many were the jokes
that rained down upon the fellow when he returned
empty-handed.
However, Pettersen soon became an ardent sports-
man, and declared that one of the first things he would
do when he returned home would be to buy a fowling-
piece. He appeared to have some talent as a marks-
man, though he had hardly ever fired a shot before he
came on board the Fram. Like all beginners, he had to
put up with a good many misses before he got so far as to
hit his mark. But practice makes perfect ; and one fine
day he began to win our respect as a marksman, for he
actually hit a bird on the wing. But then came a succes-
sion of " mishaps " for some time, and he lost faith in
his power of killing his game on the wing, and sought
less ambitious outlets for his skill. Long afterwards the
real cause of his many bad shots came to light. A wag,
who thought that Pettersen was doing too much execu-
tion among the game, had quietly re-loaded his cartridges,
so that Pettersen had all the time been shooting with salt
instead of lead, and that, of course, would make a little
difference.
Besides the animals named, it appears that Greenland
sharks are also found in these latitudes. One day
Henriksen went to remove the blubber from some bear-
skins, which he had had hanging out in the channel for a
[
June 22nd to August 15th, 1895. 549
week or so ; he found that the two smallest skins had
been nearly devoured, so that only a few shreds were
left. It could hardly have been any other animal than
the Greenland shark which had played us this trick.
We put out a big hook with a piece of blubber on it,
to try if we could catch one of the thieves, but it was of
no use.
One day in the beginning of August the mate and
Mogstad were out upon the ice trying to find the keel of
the petroleum launch, which had been forgotten. They
said that they had seen fresh tracks of a bear, which had
been trotting about the great hummock. It was now
almost a year since we last had a bear in our neighbour-
hood, and we felt, therefore, much elated at the prospect
of a welcome change in our bill of fare. For a long
time, however, we had nothing but the prospect. True,
Mogstad saw a bear at the large hummock, but, as
it was far off to begin with, and going rapidly further, it
was not pursued. Almost half-a-year elapsed before
another bear paid us a visit — it was not till February
28th, 1896.
As I said before, the Fram had, ever since the first
week in May, been fast imbedded in a large floe of ice,
which daily diminished in extent. Cracks were con-
stantly formed in all directions, and new lanes were
opened, often only to close up again in a few hours.
When the edges of the ice crashed against each other
with their tremendous force, all the projecting points
550 Chapter II.
were broken off, forming smaller floes, and pushed over
and under each other, or piled up into large or small
hummocks, which would collapse again when the pressure
ceased, and break off large floes in their fall. In con-
sequence of these repeated disturbances the cracks in our
floe constantly increased, particularly after a very violent
pressure on July 14th, when rifts and channels were
formed right through the old pressure-ridge to port, and
close up to the side of the vessel, so that it appeared for
a time as if the Fram would soon slip down into the
water. For the time being, however, she remained in
her old berth, but frequently veered round to different
points of the compass during all these disturbances in the
ice. The great hummock, which constantly increased
its distance from the vessel, also drifted very irregularly,
so that it was at one time abeam, at another right ahead.
On July 27th there was a disturbance in the ice such
as we had not experienced since we got fast. Wide
lanes were formed in every direction, and the floe upon
which the smith's forge was placed danced round in an
incessant whirl, making us fear we might lose the whole
apparatus at any moment. Scott- Hansen and Bentzen,
who were just about to have a sail in the fresh breeze,
undertook to transport the forge and all its belongings to
the floe on which we were lying. They took two men to
help them, and succeeded, with great difficulty, in saving
the things. At the same time there was a violent
disturbance in the water around the vessel. She turned
Scott-Hansen. Nordahl.
MOVABLE METEOROLOGICAL STATION ON THE ICE. JULY, 1895.
(From a photograph.)
1
June 22nd to August 15th, 1895. 551
round with the floe, so that she rapidly came to head
W. half S., instead of N.E. All hands were busy-
getting back into the ship all the things which had
been placed upon the floes, and this w-as successfully
accomplished, although it was no trifling labour, and not
without danger to the boats owing to the strong breeze
and the violent working of the floes and blocks of ice.
The floe with the ruins of the forge was slowly bearing
away in the same direction as the large hummock,
and served for some time as a kind of beacon for us.
Indeed, in the distance it looked like one, crowned as
it was on its summit with a dark skull-cap, a huge iroi>
kettle, which lay there bottom upwards. The kettle
was originally bought by Trontheim, and came or^
board at Khabarova together with the dogs. He had
used it on the trip through Siberia for cooking th^
food for the dogs. We used to keep blubber an4
other dogs' food in it. In the course of its long
service the rust had eaten holes in the bottom, and it
was therefore cashiered, and thrown aw^ay upon the
pressure-ridge close to the smithy. It now served, as
I have said, as a beacon, and is perhaps to-day drifting
about in the Polar Sea in that capacity — unless it has
been found and taken possession of by some Eskimo
housewife on the east coast of Greenland.
As the sun and mild weather brought their influence
to bear upon the surface of the ice and the snow, the
vessel rose daily higher and higher above the ice, so
552 Chapter II.
that by July 23rd, we had three and a half planks of
the greenheart ice-hide clear on the port side and ten
planks to starboard. In the evening of August 8th
our floe cracked on the port, and the Fram altered
her list from 7° to port to \'^ starboard side, with
respectively four and two planks of the ice-hide clear,
and eleven bow irons clear forward.
I feared that the small floe in which we were now
embedded might drift off' down the channel if the ice
slackened any more, and I therefore ordered the mate to
moor the vessel to the main flow, where many of our things
were stored. The order, however, was not quickly enough
executed, and when I came on deck half-an-hour later
the Fra77i was already drifting down through the channel.
All hands were called up immediately, and with our
united strength we succeeded in hauling the vessel up to
the floe again and mooring her securely.
As we were desirous of getting the Fram quite clear
of the ice-bed in which she had been lying so long, I
determined to try blasting her loose. The next day,
therefore, August 9th, at 7.30 p.m., we fired a mine of
about 7 lbs. of gunpowder, placed under the floe six feet
from the stern of the vessel. There was a violent shock
in the vessel when the mine exploded, but the ice was
apparently unbroken. A lively discussion arose touching
the question of blasting. The majority believed that
the mine was not powerful enough ; one even maintained
that the quantity of gunpowder used should have been 40
June 22nd to August 15th, 1895. 553
or 50 lbs. But just as we were in the heat of the debate
the floe suddenly burst. Big lumps of ice from below
the ship came driving up through the openings ; the
Frain gave a great heave with her stern, started for-
ward and began to roll heavily, as if to shake off the
fetters of ice, and then plunged with a great splash out
into the water. The way on her was so strong that one
of the bow hawsers parted, but otherwise the launch
went so smoothly that no shipbuilder could have
wished it better. We moored the stern to the solid edge
of ice by means of ice-anchors, which we had recently
forged for this purpose.
Scott- Hansen and Pettersen, however, were very near
getting a cold bath. Having laid the mine under the floe,
they placed themselves abaft with the "pram ""^ in order
to haul in the string of the fuze. When the floe burst, and
the Fram plunged, and the remainder of the floe capsized
as soon as it became free of its 600 tons burden, the two
men in the boat were in no pleasant predicament right in
the midst of the dangrerous maelstrom of waves and
pieces of ice ; their faces, especially Pettersen's, were
worth seeing while the boat was dancing about with them
in the caldron.
The vessel now had a slight list to starboard (075°),
and floated considerably lighter upon the water than
before, as three oak planks were clear to starboard, and
* A small keel-less boat.
554 Chapter II.
somewhat more to port, with nine bow-irons clear for-
ward. So far as we could see her hull had suffered no
damage whatever, either from the many and occasionally-
violent pressures to which she had been subjected, or
from the recent launching.
The only fault about the vessel was that she still
leaked a little, rendering it necessary to use the pumps
frequently. For a short time, indeed, she was nearly
tight, which made us inclined to believe that the leakage
must be above the water-line, but we soon found we
were in error about this, when she began to make more
water than ever.
For the rest, she was lying very well now, with the
port side along an even and rather low edge of ice,
and with an open channel to starboard ; the channel
soon closed up, but still left a small opening, about
200 yards long and 120 yards wide. I only wished that
winter would soon come, so that we might freeze securely
into this favourable position. But it was too early in the
■year, and there was too much disturbance in the ice to
allow of that. We had still many a tussle to get through
before the Frani settled in her last winter haven.
Our drift westward in the latter half of June and the
greater part of July was on the whole satisfactory. I
give the following observations : —
s ^
June 22nd to August 15th, 1895.
555
Date.
Latitude.
Longitude.
Direction of
Wind.
June
22nd
0
84
32
0
80
58
N.
June
27th
84
44
79
35
N. by E.
Tune
29th
84
33
79
50
E.N.E.
July
5th .
84
48
75
3
S.E.
July
7th .
84
48
74
7
W.S.W.
July
12th
84
41
76
20
W.S.W.
July
22nd
84
36
72
56
N.N.W.
July
27th
84
29
73
49
S.W. by S.
July
31st
84
27
76
10
S.W.
August
8th .
84
38
77
36
N.W.
August
22nd
84
9
78
47
S.W.
August
25th
84
17
79
2
E. by N.
September
• 2nd
84
47
77
17
S.E.
Septembei
■ 6th .
84
43
79
52
S.W.
As it will be seen from the above, there were compara-
tively small deviations towards the south and the north
in the line of the drift, whereas the deviations to east and
west were much greater.
From June 22nd to the 29th it bore rapidly westwards,
then back some distance in the beginning of July ; again
for a couple of days quickly towards the west, and then a
rapid return till July 12th. From this day until the 22nd
we again drifted well to the west, to 72° 56', but from
that time the backward drift predominated, placing us at
79° 52' on September 6th, or about the same longitude
as we started from on June 29th.
During this period the weather was, on the whole, fair
and mild. Occasionally we had some bad weather, with
556 Chapter II.
drift-snow and sleet, compelling us to stay indoors.
However, the bad weather did not worry us much ; on
the contrary we looked rather eagerly for changes in the
weather, especially if they revived our hopes of a good
drift westwards, with a prospect of soon getting out of
our prison. It must not be understood that we dreaded
another winter in the ice before getting home. We had
provisions enough, and everything else needful to get
over some two or three polar winters, if necessary, and
we had a ship in which we all placed the fullest con-
fidence, in view of the many tests she had been put to.
We were all sound and healthy, and had learned to stick
ever closer to one another for better and for worse.
With regard to Nansen and Johansen hardly any of
us entertained serious fears ; however dangerous their
trip was, we were not afraid that they would succumb to
their hardships on the way, and be prevented from
reaching Franz Josef Land, and thence getting back to
Norway before the year was out. On the contrary, we
rejoiced at the thought that they would soon be home
telling our friends that we were getting on all right, and
that there was every prospect of our return in the autumn
of 1896. It is no wonder, however, that we were
impatient, and that both body and soul suffered when the
drift was slow, or when a protracted contrary wind and
back-drift seemed to make it highly improbable that we
should be able to reach home by the time we were
expected.
June 22nd to August 15th, 1895. 557
Furthermore, the most important part of our mission
was in a way accomplished. There was hardly any
prospect that the drift would carry us much further
northward than we were now, and whatever could be
done to explore the regions to the north, would be done
by Nansen and Johansen. It was our object, therefore,
in compliance with the instructions from Dr. Nansen, to
make for open water and home by the shortest way and
in the safest manner, doing, however, everything within
our power to carry home with us the best possible
scientific results. These results, to judge from our
experience up to this point, were almost a foregone
conclusion : to wit, that the Polar Sea retained its
character almost unchanged as we drifted westwards,
showing the same depths, the same conditions of ice and
currents, and the same temperatures. No islands, rocks,
shoals, and, still less, any mainland, appeared in the neigh-
bourhood of our frequently irregular course ; wherever we
looked there was the same monotonous and desolate
plain of more or less rugged ice, holding us firmly, and
carrying us willy-nilly along with it. Our scientific
observations were continued uninterruptedly, as regularly
and accurately as possible, and comprised, besides the
usual meteorological observations, soundings, measure-
ment of the thickness of the ice, longitude and latitude,
taking the temperature of the sea at various depths, deter-
mining its salinity, collecting specimens of the fauna of the
sea, magnetic and electrical observations, and so forth.
CHAPTER III.
August 15x11, 1895, to January ist, 1896.
With the rise in the temperature the snow surface
became daily worse, so that it was seldom fit for snow-
shoeing ; even with '' truger ""^ on it was most laborious
to get along, for the snow was so soft that we sank in
up to our knees. Now and then for an odd day or so
the surface would be fit, even in the month of July, and
we took these opportunities of making short excursions for
shooting and the like. Then the surface would be as bad
as ever again, and one day when I had to go out on the
ice to fetch a fulmar which had been wounded, the snow
was so soft that I constantly sank in up to my waist.
Before I could reach the bird the whole pack of dogs
came tearing by, got hold of it, and killed it. One
of the dogs seized the bird in his mouth, and then there
was a wild race between it and the others. At last the
whole pack turned back towards the lane in the ice
again, and I watched my opportunity and snatched the
A round wicker snowshoe like a basket-lid.
August 15th, 1895, to January ist, 1896. 559
bird from them. I had paid pretty dearly for my
booty, all spent and dripping with perspiration as I was
from plodding through that bottomless morass of snow.
Our chief occupation was still the work at our sledges
and kayaks. The sledges, which were all brought on
board from the great hummock where they had lain all
the winter, were repaired and fitted with runners. By
July 1 6th they were all in good order — eight hand
sledges and two dog-sledges.
The kayaks, upon which we had long been engaged,
were finished about the same time. We had now in
all five double and one single kayak. Of these I myself
made one, the single kayak, which weighed 32 lbs. All
of them were tested in the channel and proved sound
and watertight. Both the kayaks and the sledges were
hoisted on the davits, so that they could be let down at
a moment's notice in case of need.
The petroleum launch, which was of no use to us as
it was, but would afford eood materials for runners and
other things, was brought from the great hummock and
taken to pieces. It was built of choice elm, and a couple
of planks were immediately used for runners to those of
the sledges, which, for lack of material, were as yet
unprovided with these appliances.
The medicine chest, which had also lain in depot at
the great hummock, was fetched and stowed away in one
of the long-boats, which had been placed on the pressure-
ridge hard by the ship. The contents had taken no
56o
Chapter III.
harm, and nothing had burst with the frost, although
there were several medicines in the chest which contained
no more than lo per cent, of alcohol.
At that time we were also busy selecting and weighing
provisions and stores for eleven men for a seventy days'
sledging expedition and a six months' sojourn on the
ice. The kinds of provisions and their weight will be
seen from the accompanying table.
Seventy Days' Sledge Provisions for Eleven Men.
Cadbury's chocolate, 5 boxes of 48 lbs.
Meat chocolate ....
Wheaten bread, t6 boxes of 44 lbs.
Danish butter, 12 tins of 28 lbs.
Lime-juice tablets .
Fish-flour (Professor Vaage's)
Viking potatoes, 3 tins of 26 lbs.
Knorr's pea-soup .
„ lentil-soup .
„ bean-soup .
Bovril, 2 boxes
Vril food, I box
Oatmeal, i box
Serin powder, i tin
Aleuronate bread, 5 boxes of 50 lbs
Pemmican, 6 boxes
„ 7 sacks
Liver, i sack .
Lbs.
240
25
704
336
2
78
5
5
5
104
48
80
50
250
340
592
102
Total . . . 3,016
Besides these we took salt, pepper, and mustard.
August 15th, 1895, to January ist, 1896. 561
Provisions for Eleven Men during a Six Months' Stay
ON THE Ice.
Roast and boiled beef, 14 tins of 72 lbs.
Minced collops, 3 tins of 48 lbs.
Corned beef, 3 tins of 84 lbs, .
Compressed ham, 3 tins of 84 lbs.
Corned mutton, 17 tins of 6 lbs.
Bread, 37 tins of 50 lbs.
Knorr's soups, various, 2 tins of 56J lbs.
Vegetables : white cabbage; julienne ; pot-herbs
Flour, sugar, 3 cases of 40 lbs.
Oatmeal, 4 cases of 80 lbs.
Groats, 4 cases of 8q lbs.
Cranberry, 2 cases of 10 lbs.
Margarine, 20 jars of 28 lbs.
Lunch tongue, i case
Danish butter, 2 cases
Stearine candles, 5 cases
Preserved fish, i tin
Macaroni, i case .
Viking potatoes, 4 cases .
Vaage's fish-flour, 2 cases
Frame-food jelly, i jar .
Marmalade jelly, i jar .
Lime-juice jelly, i jar
Cadbury's chocolate, 3 cases
Lactoserin cocoa, i case .
Milk, 10 cases of 48 tins
Tea, I case
English pemmican, 13 cases
Danish pemmican, i case
Dried liver patties, 3 cases
Vril food, 5 cases .
Lbs.
1,008
144
252
252
102
1,850
113
60
120
320
320
20
560
20
33^
200
22
50
208
200
190
54
54
144
18
480
20
756
68
204
208
Besides these, 2 tins of salt, i tin of mustard, and i tin of pepper.
VOL. II. 2 O
562 Chapter III.
When all the stores were ready and packed, they
were provisionally stowed at certain fixed points on deck,
under the awning forward. I did not want them taken
out on the ice until later in the year, or until circum-
stances rendered it necessary. We had still abundance
of coal — about 100 tons. I considered that 20 tons
would be ab.out enough for six months' consumption on
the ice. With that quantity, therefore, we filled butts,
casks, and sacks, and took it out on the ice, together
with 1,400 lbs. of tinned potatoes, about 45 gallons of
petroleum, about 80 gallons of gas-oil, and about 34
gallons of coal-oil.
As the ship was still deeply laden, I wished to lighten
her as much as possible, if only it could be managed
without exposing to risk any of the stores which had to
be unloaded. After the windmill was worn out and
taken away we had, of course, no use for the battery
and dynamo, so we took the whole concern to pieces and
packed it up, with lamps, globes, and everything
belonging to it. The same was done with the petroleum-
motor. The '' horse-mill " was also taken down and put
out on the ice, with a lot of heavy materials. One long-
boat had been put out earlier, and now we took the other
down from the davits and took it up to the great hum-
mock. But as the hummock shortly afterwards drifted
a good way off from us, the boat, with everything else
that lay there, was brought back again and placed upon
the great ice-floe to which we were moored — our
(
<
August 15th, 1895, to January ist, 1896. 563
''estate," as we used to call it. On top of the davits,
and right aft to the half-deck, we ran a platform of
planks, on which the sledges, kayaks, and other things
were to be laid up in the winter.
On July 22nd we continued our deep-sea soundings,
taking two on that day, the first to 1,354 fathoms (2,500
metres) and the second to 1,625 fathoms (3,000 metres),
without touching bottom either time. In order to make
sure that the lead should sink, we lowered away the line
very slowly, so that it took two hours and a quarter to
reach a depth of 3,000 metres. On the 23rd we again
took two soundings, one of 1,840 fathoms (3,400 metres)
without finding bottom, and then one in which we found
bottom at 2,056 fathoms (3,800 metres). It took two
hours and a half to lower the lead to the latter depth.
Finally, on July 24th we again took a sounding of 3,600
metres without finding bottom, and therefore concluded
the depth to be from 3,700 to 3,800 metres.
On July 7th the doctor rowed out in the "pram" in
search of algae, but came back empty-handed. There
were remarkably few algae to be found this summer, nor
did there seem to be so much animal life in the water as
there had been the year before.
For a few days after she got loose, the Fram lay in a
very good position in the pool ; but during the night of
August 14th a high block of ice came floating down the
lane, which had now widened a little, and jammed itself
between the ship's side and the further edge of the pool,
202
564 Chapter III.
which it thus entirely blocked. As we did not like having
this uncomfortable and dangerous colossus close at our
side, in case we should remain at the same spot through-
out the autumn and winter, we determined to blast it
away. Scott- Hansen and Nordahl at once took this in
hand, and accomplished the task after several days' labour.
On Saturday afternoon, August 1 7th, a pretty strong
ice-pressure suddenly set in around us. In the course of
a few minutes the Fram was lifted 22 inches by the
stern, and 14 inches by the bow. In stately fashion, with
no noise, and without heeling over in the least, the heavy
vessel was swiftly and lightly raised, as if she had been a
feather — a spectacle at once impressive and reassuring.
The next day the ice slackened a little again, and the
ship was once more afloat. So it lay quietly until the
morning of the 2 ist, when another strong pressure began.
The ship now lay in a very awkward position, with a high
hummock on each side, which gripped her amidships for
a space of about 9 yards, and screwed her up 6 or 8
inches. But the pressure ended in half an hour or so,
and the Fram sank again into her former berth.
When there were symptoms of pressure we always
tried to warp the ship as far away as possible from the
threatening point, and occasionally we succeeded. But
during the stormy weather, with southerly winds, which
prevailed at this time, it was often quite impossible to
get her to budge ; for she offered a great surface to the
wind, with her heavy rigging and the high awning
August 15th, 1895, to January ist, 1896. 565
forward. Our united forces were often unable to move
her an inch, and ice-anchors, moorings, and warping-
cables were perpetually breaking.
At last, on August 22 nd, w^e succeeded in warping
the ship along a bit, so that we might hope to escape
pressure if the ice should again begin to pinch. As
the ice soon after slackened a good deal, and became
more broken than before, we some days later made
another attempt to haul her a little further, but had
soon to give it up ; there was not enough space between
the two great floes on either hand of us. We now lay
at the same spot until September 2nd, with half a gale
blowing continually from the south-west and with heavy
rain now and then. On the evening of August 30th,
for instance, we had a violent rain-storm, which loosened
the ice-coating of the rigging and made a frightful racket
as it brought the pieces of ice clattering down upon the
deck, the deck-house, and the awning.
Our " estate " was very thoroughly ploughed,
harrowed, and drained at this time by wind, rain,
pressure, and other such doughty labourers. Then
came the tiresome business of moving the things out
from the ship, which involved the cutting up and parcelling
out of almost the whole ''estate," so that what was
left open to us was scanty and cramped enough.
Thus reduced, the " estate " now formed an approxi-
mately oblong floe, with its greatest length from east
to west, and surrounded on all sides by more or less
566 Chapter III.
open rifts and lanes. The Frani lay moored to the
north side close to the north-east point, with her bow
heading west. Immediately astern of her, and separated
from the point only by a narrow lane, lay a large floe,
upon which was stowed, among other things, a part of
our provision of coal. Far off to the westward the great
hummock still lay drifting.
While the other sides of the ''estate" were pretty
nearly straight, the east side formed a concave arc or
bay, which offered an excellent winter berth for the
Frani. But there was no possibility of getting the ship
into it so long as the channel between the '' estate " and
the floe to eastward remained closed. Late in the
afternoon of September 2nd the ice at last slackened
so much that we could make an attempt. By the
help of our tackle, we managed to get her warped a
ship's length eastwards, but it was impossible for the
moment to get her any further, as the new ice was
already pretty thick (the night temperature was —5° C),
and also a good deal packed. Nor was it any use to
bring the ice-saw into play and cut a channel, for the
slush was so deep that we could not shove the frag-
ments aside or under each other.
The next day began with half a gale from the south-
east and rain ; but at 6 o'clock the wind moderated
and veered to the south, and at 8 o'clock the ice
around the lane began to slacken a good deal. As there
was now more room, we made good progress with
August 15th, 1895, to January ist, 1896. 567
cutting our way through the new ice, and before mid-
day we had got the F^^am hauled into the bay and
moored in the winter harbour which wx all hoped might
prove her last.
When Nansen and Johansen set out, they left seven
dogs behind, the bitch '' Sussi " and the six youngest
puppies : " Kobben," " Snadden," '' Bella," " Skvint,"
"Axel," and "Boris." On April 25th "Sussi" gave
birth to twelve puppies. We had made a cosy little
kennel for her on deck, lining it with reindeer skin.
Pettersen came down in the morning, and told us that
" Sussi " was running round whining and howling.
Mogstad and I went up and shut her into the kennel,
where she at once gave birth to a puppy. When
the afternoon came, and we saw that more and more
citizens were being added to our community, we feared
that the mother would not be able to warm all her
litter, and consequently removed the whole family into
the saloon. All the puppies were large and handsome,
most of them quite white, and looking as though they
would turn out regular little " bjelkier," as the Samo-
yedes call all white dogs. They grew and throve excel-
lently as saloon passengers, and were petted and spoiled
by every one. They made their home in the saloon for a
month, and then we transferred them to the above-
mentioned kennel on deck. After they had been up
there for some weeks, it appeared as though they had
suddenly stopped growing, although they were con-
568 Chapter III.
stantly well fed with raw bear's flesh, milk, and the
broken meat from our table. About the second week
of August two of the puppies died of convulsions.
The doctor managed to save a third by means of warm
baths and careful nursing. At the end of the month
another of them was seized with convulsions and died,
although it, too, was treated with warm baths and
comfortably housed, first in the saloon and afterwards
in the work-room.
In the beginning of September, when the frequent rain
made things very moist and uncomfortable in the kennel
and on deck, we built a kennel out on the ice with a tar-
paulin roof and a floor of planks, with plenty of shavings
spread over them. While it was being built we let the
whole pack of dogs out upon the ice ; but after playing for
half an hour the puppies, one after another, began to have
convulsions. The attacks passed quickly over, however.
We drenched them with soap and water, and then settled
them in their new abode.
As the puppies grew older, we had to keep a sharp
watch upon them when we let them out upon the ice.
They romped and gambolled with such ungovernable
glee that it often happened that one or other of them
plumped into the water, and had to be laboriously fished
out again by the Master of the Hounds for the time
being or whoever else happened to be at hand. More-
over, they soon acquired a taste for longer excursions,
and followed our tracks far over the ice.
^
1
August 15th, 1895, to January ist, 1896. 569
One day the doctor and I were out photographing.
At a considerable distance from the ship we came upon
a large pool of fresh water, and took a little rest upon its
inviting, mirror-like ice. While we lay there chatting at
our ease, we saw " Kobben " coming after us. As soon
as he caught sight of us, he stopped and stood wondering
what strange creatures we could be. Then we began to
creep on all fours towards him ; and the moment we did so,
'' Kobben " found his legs to some purpose. He set off
homeward as though he were running for dear life ; and
even when we got back to the ship and several other
puppies met us and knew us, the poor creature was still
so panic-stricken that it was a good while before he
ventured to come near us.
On September 28th we again lost one of the puppies.
It was seized with convulsions and lay whining and
howling all day. As the evening advanced, and it
became paralysed along one side, there was no hope of
saving it, we put an end to its misery. It was pitiful
to see how these pretty little creatures suffered when the
convulsions came upon them.
On October 9th '' Skvint " gave birth to puppies, but
as so young an animal could not have brought them up,
especially in such a cold season, we allowed her to keep
only one of them as an experiment ; the others were at
once killed. A week later " Sussi " produced a second
litter, two he-dogs and nine she. We let her keep
the two males and one of the females.
570 Chapter III.
It proved Inadvisable to have both the mothers with
their families in the same kennel. If one of the mothers
went out for a moment, the other at once took all the
puppies into her keeping, and then there was a battle
royal when the first one returned and wanted to reclaim
her property. Something of this sort had, no doubt,
occurred one night in the case of '' Skvint," whom
Henriksen found in the morning lying at the door of
the kennel frozen so fast to the ice that it cost us a good
deal of trouble to get her loose again. She must have
had anything but a pleasant night — the thermometer had
been down to — ^^° C. ( — 27-4° Fahr.) — and her tail was
frozen fast to one of her hind legs, so that we had to take
her down into the saloon to get her thawed. To obviate
such misadventures for the future I had a detached
villa built for her where she could be at peace with her
child.
One evening, when Mogstad was housing the puppies
for the night, two of them were missing. Henriksen
and I at once set off with lanterns and guns to hunt
for them. We thougrht that there had been a bear in the
neighbourhood, as we had heard a great deal of barking-
earlier in the day out upon the ice to the east of the
ship ; but we could find no tracks. After supper we set
out again, five of us, all carrying lanterns. After an
hour's search along the lanes and up In the pressure-
ridges, we at last found the puppies on the other side of
a new lane. Athough the new ice on the lane was
August 15th, 1895, to January ist, 1896. 571
strong enough to bear them, they were so terrified after
having been in the water that they dared not come over
to us, and we had to make a long detour to get hold
of them.
In the middle of December we took the youngest
puppies on board, as they had now grow^n so big, and
ran away if^hey were not very closely watched. The
gangw^ay was left open at night so that the mothers
could come into them from the ice whenever they
wanted to.
In respect to temper, there was a great difference
between the generation of dogs w^e had originally taken
on board and those we now had. While the former
were great fighters, perpetually at feud with each other,
and often to the death, the latter were exceedingly quiet
and well-behaved, although wild and fierce enough when
it came to chasinof a bear. Now and then there would
be a little squabble among them, but this was rare.
*' Axel" was the worst of them. Shortly before Christ-
mas, he all of a sudden made a fierce attack upon the
unoffending " Kobben," against whom he bore a grudge.
But he got the rope's end for supper several times, and
that improved his manners amazingly.
During the first half of September the weather was
very unsettled, with prevailing westerly and south-
westerly winds, a good deal of rain and snow, especially
rain, and frequent disturbance in the ice. The frost at
night, which sometimes reached 10° or 11°, soon made
572 Chapter III.
the new Ice strong enough to bear a man, except just
at the stern of the ship, where all the slops were thrown
out. Here the ice was much broken up, and formed a
thick slush, the surface of which was frozen over, but so
thinly that it would not bear much weight. Thus it
happened one day that three men got a ducking, one
after another, at the same treacherous spot. The first
was Pettersen. He had to go round the stern to look
to the log-line which hung from the ship's side to port,
but before he got so far, down he went through the ice.
Shortly after the same thing happened to Nordahl, and
half-an-hour later it was Bentzen's turn to plump in.
He plunged right up to his neck, but at once bobbed up
again like a cork, and scrambled gallantly up on to the
edge of the ice without a moment's delay. The observa-
tion of the log-line had to be postponed, while a grand
changing and drying of clothes took place on board.
On September 15th the ice slackened so much that
there was quite a little sea between us and the great
hummock. The following day the ice was still so much
disturbed that we had to think seriously of fetching back
the things which still lay there. About midday I took a
walk over towards the hummock to find out a suitable
transport-path, and discovered an excellent one. But
some hours later, when I set off with men and sledges
to fetch back the things, so many lanes had opened
around the '' estate " that we had to give up the attempt
for that day. During the whole of September, and well
August 15th, 1895, to January ist, 1896. 573
on in October, there was almost incessant disturbance in
the ice. New lanes opened on all sides, some close to
the ship, and there were frequent pressures. The winter
harbour we had found proved an excellent one. There
was very little disturbance in the bay where the Frain
was moored, thanks to the new ice we here had around us,
of which the pressure was quite inconsiderable. It was
quickly broken up, and the fragments forced over or
under each other, while the two solid points of the
bay bore the brunt of the attacks. Once or twice it
seemed as though the Frain would be afloat again
before the winter finally chained her in its icy fetters.
On October 25th, for instance, it slackened so much
in the lane nearest us that the ship lay free from the
stern right to the fore-chains ; but soon the ice packed
together again, so that she was once more frozen quite
fast. The hardest pressure occurred on October 26th
and 27th, but the ship was not very severely attacked.
Pressure, however, is more unpleasant in winter, on
account of the deafening noise it makes when the ice
is hurled against the ship's side. It is quite different in
summer, when the ice is more tough and elastic, and the
pressure goes on calmly and quietly.
After November ist a more peaceful period set in ;
the pressures almost entirely ceased, the cold Increased,
the wind remained easterly, and we drifted at a steady
rate northwards and westwards for the rest of the
year.
574 Chapter III.
During the autumn the drift had put our patience
to a severe test. Owing to the prevailing westerly
winds, it bore steadily eastwards, and day after day
we looked in vain for a change. The only thing that
kept our spirits up was the knowledge that, if we were
going backward, it was slowly, sometimes very slowly,
indeed. Even several days of westerly wind did not
take us so far to the east, but that a day or two of
favourable wind would enable us to make up what we
had lost, with something to boot.
September 22nd was the second anniversary of our
being frozen in, and the event was celebrated with a
little festivity in the evening. We had reason to be
satisfied with the second year's drift, since we had
advanced nearly double as far as during the first year,
and, if this continued, there could scarcely be any doubt
that we should get clear of the ice in the autumn of
1896.
As will be seen from the following table, September
22nd also brought us a marked change for the better.
On that day the winter drift set in for good, and lasted
without intermission through the remainder of the year,
so that between that day and the second week in January
we drifted from 82° 5' to 41° 41' E. long.
Auo-ust
15th, 1895, to January ist, 1896. 575
Date.
Latitude.
Longitude.
i
,
0
f
September 6th, 1895 .
' 84
43
79
52
S.W.
September nth, 1895 .
84
59
78
15
E.
September 22nd, 1895 .
85
2
82
5
Cahn.
October 9th, 1895 •
85
4
79
30
E.
October 19th, 1895 .
' 85
45
78
21
E. to N.
October 25th, 1895 •
1 ^5
46
73
25
N.E.
October 30th, 1895 .
85
46
70
50
N.N.W.
November 8th, 1895 .
85
41
65
2
E.
November 15th, 1895 .
85
55'5
66
31
E.N.E.
November 25th, 1895 .
1 85
47'5
62
56
N E. to N.
December ist, 1895 .
1 ^5
28
58
45
E.
December 7th, 1895 •
85
26
54
40
N.E.
December 14th, 1895 •
! 85
24
50
2
Calm
December 21st, 1895 .
85
15
47
56
N.E.
December 28th, 1895 •
85
24
48
22
N.W.
January 9th, 1896 .
84
57
41
41
N.
Direction of
Wind.
On October nth we hauled up the log-line and cut
a new hole for it in the ice right astern. Hitherto
the log had had only 100 metres (54 fathoms) of line,
now we gave it 300 metres (162 fathoms).
After the middle of September the cold steadily
increased, as the following observations will show.
576
Chapter III.
Date.
Minimum
Temperature.
Degrees
Degrees
Centigrade.
Fahrenheit.
September i8th .
- 12-5
+ 9'6
Sepiember 26th ....
— 24*0
— 11*2
October 19th .
— 30-0
— 22-0
November 5 th .
— 32-2
-25-8
November 9th ....
-38-3
-36-8
November 22nd .
— 43"6
— 46-4
December 31st .
-44 -6
— 48-2
The weather was, as a rule, fine during the last three
months of 1895, with clear air and light breezes; only
now and then (for example, on October 29th, and
November nth, 26th, and 27th) the wind freshened
to half a gale, with a velocity of as much as 48 feet
per second.
In the beginning of September we found that the
Fram was drawing more and more water, so that we
had a stiff job every day to pump and bale her empty.
But from the 23rd onwards the leakage steadily declined,
and about the second week of October the engine-room
was quite watertight. It still leaked a little, however, in
the main hold ; but soon the leak ceased here also, the
water having frozen in the ship's side. For the rest, we
employed our time in all sorts of work about the ship,
cutting up and removing ice in the hold, cleaning, putting
things in order, etc.
August 15th, 1895, to January ist, 1896. 577
Not until September 23rd did the state of the ice
permit us to carry out our intention of fetching back the
things from the great hummock. The surface was that
day excellent for sledges with German silver runners ;
wooden runners, on the other hand, went rather heavily.
W^e had also done some road-making here and there, so
that the conveyance of the goods went on easily and
rapidly. We brought back to the ship, in all, thirty-six
boxes of dog biscuits, and four barrels of petroleum.
Next day we brought all that was left, and stacked it on
the ice close to the ship.
On September i6th Scott-Hansen and Nordahl set
about preparations for building a proper house for their
magnetic observations. Their building material con-
sisted of great blocks of new ice, which they piled upon
sledges and drove with the aid of the dogs to the site
they had chosen. Except for one or two trial trips
which Scott-Hansen had previously made with the
dogs, this was the first time they had been employed as
draught-animals. They drew well, and the carting went
excellently. The house was built entirely of hewn blocks
of ice, which w^ere ranged above each other with an
inward slant, so that when finished it formed a compact
circular dome of ice, in form and appearance not unlike
a Finn tent. A covered passage of ice led into the
house, with a w^ooden flap for a door.
When this observatory w^as finished, Scott-Hansen
gave a house-warming, the hut being magnificently
VOL. II. 2 p
578 Chapter III.
decorated for the occasion. It was furnished with a sofa,
and with armchairs covered with bear and reindeer-skins.
The pedestal in the middle of the floor, on which the
magnetic instruments were to be established, was covered
with a flag, and an ice-floe served as a table. On the
table stood a lamp with a red shade, and along the walls
were fixed a number of red paper lanterns. The effect
was quite festal, and we all sat round the room in the
highest of spirits. Our amiable host addressed little
humorous speeches to every one. Pettersen expressed
the wish that this might be the last Ice-hut Scott- Hansen
should build on this trip, and that we might all be home
again this time next autumn, and "none the worse for
it all." Pettersen's artless little address was received
with frantic enthusiasm.
For the rest, Pettersen had just about this time
entered upon a new office, having from September loth
onward undertaken the whole charge of Juell's former
domain, the galley, a department to which he devoted
his whole heart, and In which his performances gave
entire satisfaction to every one. The only branch of the
culinary art with which he would have nothing to do
was the baking of Christmas cakes. This Juell himself
had to attend to when the time came.
When winter set in, we built ourselves a new smithy
in the place of the one which drifted off on July 27th.
It was constructed on the pressure-ridge where the boats
and part of the stores from the great hummock had
August 15th, 1895, to January ist, 1896. 579
been placed. Its plan was very much like that of the
former smithy. We first hollowed out a cavity of
sufficient size in the pressure-ridge, and then roofed it
over with blocks of ice and snow.
As the year waned, and the winter night impended,
all the sea animals and birds of passage which had
swarmed around us and awakened our longings during
the short summer deserted us one by one. They set
off for the south, towards sunshine and light and
hospitable shores, while we lay there in the ice and
darkness for yet another winter. On September 6th
we saw the last narwhals oambollino- in the lanes
around the ship, and a few days later the last flock
of skuas [Lestris parasiticus) took their departure.
The sun moves quickly in these latitudes from the first
day that he peers over the horizon in the south till he
circles round the heavens all day and all night ; but
still quicker do his movements seem when he is on
the downward path in autumn. Before you know where
you are he has disappeared, and the crushing darkness
of the Arctic night surrounds you once more.
On September 12th we should have seen the midnight
sun for the last time if it had been clear ; and no later
than October 8th we caught the last glimpse of the sun's
rim at midday. Thus we plunged into the longest
Arctic night any human beings have yet lived through in
about 85° N. lat. Henceforth there was nothing that
could for a moment be called daylight, and by
2 p 2
580 Chapter III.
October 26th there was scarcely any perceptible
difference between day and night.
Whenever time permitted, and the surface was at all
favourable, we wandered about on snowshoes in the
neighbourhood of the ship, either singly or several
together. On October 7th, when all of us were out
snowshoeing in the morning, the mate found a log of
drift-wood 7 feet long and 7 inches thick. Part of the
root was still attached to the trunk. The mate and I
w^ent out in the afternoon and brought it in on a hand-
sledge. No doubt it had grown in one of the Siberian
forests, had been swept away by a flood or by the current
of a river, and carried out to sea to be conveyed hither
by the drift-ice.
Besides snowshoeing, we also took frequent walks on
the ice, and on November 20th I gave orders that every
man should take two hours' exercise a day in the fresh
air. I myself was very fond of these walks, which
freshened up both soul and body, and I would often
wander backwards and forwards on the ice four or five
hours a day, as a rule two hours in the morning and
two in the afternoon.
On October 8th Scott-Hansen and Moostad made an
experiment in dragging sledges with 230 lbs. of freight.
They started at half-past nine and returned at five in the
afternoon, after having been about four miles from the
ship, and traversed pretty heavy country.
We did not believe, indeed, that the Fra7n ran the
August 15th, 1895, to January ist, 1896. 581
slightest risk of being crushed in any ice-pressure ; but
it was obviously possible, or at least conceivable, so that
it was our duty to be prepared for all contingencies.
Accordingly we devoted much labour and care to securing
•ourselves against being taken by surprise.
At the end of October we established a new depot on
the ice consisting of provisions for six months, with a
full equipment of sledges, kayaks, snowshoes, etc. The
provisions were divided into five different piles, and
stacked so that the boxes in each pile formed an arch.
Thus stored, not more than two cases could well be lost
■even if the worst happened, and the ice split up right
under the heap. The provisions consisted partly of
pemmican, as may be seen by the list quoted — a very
nutritious article of diet, which makes an excellent sort of
Irish stew (lobscouse). With 200 grammes of pemmican,
100 grammes of bread, and 120 grammes of potatoes,
you can make a very satisfying and palatable dish.
On November 28th we passed the sixtieth degree
of longitude, and celebrated the occasion by a little feast.
The saloon was decorated with fiags, and a rather more
sumptuous dinner than usual was served, with coffee
after it ; while supper was followed by a dessert of
fruits and preserves. This meridian passes near Cape
Fligely in Franz Josef Land, and through Khabarova,
where we two years ago had bidden farewell to the last
faint traces of civilisation. So it seemed as though we
really felt ourselves nearer the world and life.
CHAPTER IV.
January ist to May I/TH, 1896.
New Year's Day came with fine, clear weather, moonlight,
and about 43 degrees of cold. The ice kept remarkably
quiet for about a month, but on February 4th the pressure
commenced again. It was not of long duration, but
made a great noise while It lasted ; the ice all round us
roared and screamed as If a tremendous gale were
blowing. I took a walk on the ice for the purpose, if
possible, of observing the pressure more closely, but
could see nothing. The following day we again sallied
forth on the ice, and found a comparatively new channel
and a large new pressure-ridge about a mile from the
ship. It was impossible, however, to get any compre-
hensive view of the state of the Ice, as It was still too
dark, even at midday. The surface of the snow was
hard and orood, but the hollow edoes of the snow-drifts
were so deceptive, that we every now and then tumbled
head over heels.
On February 7th Scott - Hansen, Henriksen,
Amundsen, and myself took a run northwards from the
January ist to May 17th, 1896. 583
ship. The further north we went, the more broken and
uneven the ice became, and at last we had to turn, as we
came to a new and wide lane. Durinor the mornine a
dark bank of clouds had been gathering in the south-
west, and now the fog got so thick that it was not easy
to find our way back to the ship again. At last we heard
the voice of " Sussi," and from the top of a pressure-
ridge which we ascended we got sight of the crow's-nest
and the main-topmast of the Fram, towering above the
fog, only a little way off Close as we were to the ship,
it was not so easy to get on board again. We were
stopped by a large lane which had formed just abaft the
ship during our absence, and we had to skirt it a long
way westwards before we could cross it. Those on board
told us that the opening of the lane had given the ship a
great shock, very much like the shock felt when we
blasted the Fi'avi loose in August. At 12.30 at night
we felt another shock in the ice. When we came on
deck we found that the ice had cracked about 30 yards
abaft the ship, parallel with the large lane. The crack
passed along the side of the nearest long-boat, and
right through one of the coal-heaps. On the heap a
barrel was standing, which would have been lost if
the crack had not divided itself in front of it at about
right angles and then joined again, after passing through
the outer edges of the heap. On the island thus formed
the barrel and some coal-bags floated about in the
channel. However, we soon got the island hooked to
584 Chapter IV.
shore, and the coals were all saved, with the exception
of a sack of i cwt., which went to the bottom. By way
of making sure, I gave orders that the depot should
be inspected once during each watch, or oftener if the
pressure began again.
On February 13th Henriksen, Amundsen, and I made
an expedition southwards to examine into the state of
the ice in that direction. We found that it was very
uneven there, too, and full of comparatively new lanes.
The channel abaft the ship widened during the forenoon,
and gave off such masses of fog that we soon lost sight
of the ship. The next day it opened still more, and on
the 1 6th there was a very strong pressure in it. The
ice trembled and roared like a great waterfall, and
splintered into small horizontal flakes on the surface.
The pressure was repeated almost every day, and more
cracks and lanes were constantly to be seen for some
time. But after that the ice was comparatively quiet
until April loth, when it again began to be very restless.
On the night of the 15th the pressure was very strong in
the lane on the port side. We were obliged to haul
up the log-line with the bag and shift the sounding
apparatus. The same night the ice split under two of
the provision depots, so that we had to get them closer
to the ship.
On the morning of the 21st we were awakened by
a violent pressure astern. Nordahl came down and
woke me, saying that the ice threatened to rush in
January ist to May 17th, 1896. 585
•over the vessel. We found that a tremendous ice-floe had
been pressed up over the edge of the ice astern and came
ghding along unchecked until it ran right against our
stern. But the Fj'am had borne shocks like this before,
and now again she held her own well. The ice was
split against the strong stern, and lay shattered on
both sides of the ship on a level with the edge of the
half-deck all the way forward to the mizzen shrouds.
The ship now lay almost loose in her berth, and the
ice round about was broken up into a mass of smaller
floes. As these were pressed down by the heavy drifts,
it was hard work to get round the ship, as one ran the
risk of plumping down into the slush at any moment.
Late in the afternoon of May 13th the lane between
the forge and the ship began to widen very much, so
that in a couple of hours' time it was about 90 yards wide.
From the crow's-nest I saw on the south-east a large
•channel extending southwards as far as I could see, and
the channel abaft us extended to the north-east as far
as my sight could reach. I therefore went out in the
** pram " to try to find a passage through to the channel on
the south-east, but without result. After supper I was off"
again southwards, but I could not find any thoroughfare.
At 10 o'clock in the evening I again went up in the
•crow's-nest, and now saw that the channel had widened
•considerably and reached away southwards as far as the
'eye could reach, with dark air over it.
Scott- Hansen and I deliberated as to what was to be
586 Chapter I\^
done. Althoug^h I did not believe it would do much
good under the circumstances, we decided upon an
attempt to blast the vessel free. We agreed to try some
mines right aft, and all hands were at once put to this
work. First we fired six powder-mines at about the
same spot, but without much result. Then we made an
unsuccessful trial with gun-cotton. At 3 o'clock in the
morning we concluded operations for the time being as
the ice was so thick that the drill did not reach throuoh,
and the slush so bad that it was impossible to get the
ice-floes shoved away. At 8 o'clock the next morning
we laid two new mines, which Scott-Hansen and Nordahl
had made ready during the night, but neither of them
would go off. One or two of the mines which we had
fired during the day had produced some effect, but so
little that it was not worth while to continue. We were
obliged to wait for a more favourable condition of the ice.
The weather during the two first weeks of January
was settled and good, with clear air and 40 to 50 degrees
of cold. The coldest day was January 15th, when the
thermometer showed from —50° C. ( — 58° F.) to —52^ C.
(--6 1 '6° F.). The last two wrecks of January the tem-
perature was considerably higher, but dropped again in
February, until on the 13th it was about —48^ C.
( — 54*4° F.), after which it was somewhat higher: about
^35° ^- (""31° ^•) during the remainder of February.
On March 5th the thermometer again showed 40"" C.
of cold ; but from that time the temperature rose
January ist to May 17th, 1896. 587
quickly. Thus on March 12th it was — 12° C.
(+10-4° F.), on the 27th -6^ C. ( + 21-2° F.), with
a few colder days of course now and then. April was
somewhat cold throughout, about —25° C. (-—13° F.);
the coldest day was the 13th, with —34" C. ( — 29*2° F.).
The first week of May was also somewhat cold, about
-20° C (-4° F.) to -25° C. (-13° F.), the second
week somewhat milder, about — 14° C. (4-6*8° F.), and
on May 21st we had the first rise above freezing point
of this year, the maximum thermometer showing at the
evening observation +0*9° C.
Some days during this winter were remarkable for
very great and sudden changes in temperature. One
instance was Friday, February 21st. In the morning it
was cloudy, with a stiff breeze from the south-east. Late
in the afternoon the wind suddenly changed to the south-
west, and slackened off to a velocity of 14 feet; and
the temperature went down from —7° C. (+I9"4 F.) in
the morning to —25° C. (—13° F.) shortly before the
change in the wind, rapidly rising again to — 6*2° C.
( + 20"9° F.) at 8 o'clock p.m.
In my journal I wrote of this day as follows : " I was
walkino; on deck to-nioht, and before I went down had a
look-out astern. When I put my head out of the tent, I
felt so warm a current of air that my first thought was
that there must be fire somewhere on board. I soon
discovered, however, that it was the temperature which
had risen so greatly since I was under the open sky.
588 Chapter IV.
Scott- Hansen and I afterwards went up and placed a
thermometer under the ship's tent, where it showed
only — 19° C. (— 2*2° F.), while the thermometer
outside showed — 6° C. (+ 21*2° F.). We walked
for some time backwards and forwards, and breathed
the warm air in deep draughts. It was beyond all
•description pleasant to feel the mild wind caress one's
cheek. Yes, there is a great difference between living in
•such a temperature and daily breathing an air 40° to 50°
below freezing-point. Personally, I am not very much
incommoded by it, but many complain that they feel a
pain deep in the chest. I only find when I have been
taking a good deal of exercise that my mouth is parched."
The following day, February 22nd, it first blew from
the S.S.E., but later the wind changed to half a gale
from the west, with a velocity of 55 feet per second.
The barometer showed the lowest reading during the
whole voyage up till then, namely, 723*6 mm. The
air was so full of drifting snow that we could not see
6 feet from the ship, and the thermometer-house out on
the ice was in a few minutes so packed with drift-snow
that it was impossible to read off the instruments. It
was not very comfortable down in the saloon, as it was
impossible to create any draught. We made unsuccessful
attempts to light the stove, but soon had to take the fire
away, to prevent suffocation by smoke. Sunday night
the storm abated, but on Monday and Tuesday there was
again half a gale, with snowfall and drift, and nearly
January ist to May 17th, 1896. 589.
28 degrees of frost. Not before Wednesday afternoon-
did the weather improve in earnest ; it then cleared up^
and the wind slackened to 1 9 feet 6 inches, so both we and
the dogs could get out on the ice and take a little exercise.
The does wanted to gret out of their kennels in the
morning, but even they found the weather too bad, and
slunk in aofain.
We had a good many rough-weather days like this^
not only in the winter, but also in the summer ; but
as a rule the rough weather lasted only a day at a time,
and did not involve any great discomfort. On the con-
trary, w^e had no objection to a little rough weather,,
especially when it was accompanied by a fresh breeze,
that might drift the ice speedily westwards. Of course,,
what most interested us was the drifting and everything^
connected with it. Our spirits were often far better in
rough weather than on glittering days of clear weather,,
with only a slight breeze, or a calm and a brilliant aurora
borealis at night.
With the drift we had reason to be well satisfied,,
especially in January and the first week in February.
During that time we drifted all the way from the 48th
to the 25th degree of longitude, while our latitude kept
steady : about 84° 50'. The best drift we had was from
January 28th to February 3rd, when there was a constant
stiff breeze blowing from the east, which on Sunday,
February 2nd, increased to a speed of 58 to 69 feet
a second, or even more during squalls. This was, how-
590 Chapter IV.
ever, the only real gale during the whole of our voyage.
On Saturday, February ist, we passed the longitude of
Vardo, and celebrated the occasion by some festivities in
the evening. On February 15th we were in 84° 20'
N. lat. and 23° 28' E. long., and we now drifted some
distance back, so that on February 29th we were In 27^
E. long. Afterwards the drift westwards was very slow,
but It was better towards the south, so that on May i6th
we were at Si,° 45' N. at. and 12° 50' E. long.
The drift gave occasion to many bets, especially when
it was good, and spirits proportionately high. One day
at the end of January, when the line showed that we
were drifting briskly In the right direction, Henrlksen
found his voice and said : '' We have never made a bet
before, Captain ; suppose we make a bet now as to how
far south we have got." '' All right," I said, and we
accordingly made a bet of a ration of salmon, I
that we were not south of 84° 40', or between 40' and
41', and he that we were between 36' and ;^y\ Scott-
Hansen then took an observation, and found that
Henrlksen had lost. The latitude was 84° 40-2'.
Since the last bird of passage left us we had nowher
seen a single living creature, right up to February 28th.
Not even a bear had been seen during our many rambles
on the Ice.
At 6 a.m. Pettersen came rushing Into the cabin, and
told me that he saw two bears near the ship. I hurried
up on deck, but It was still so dark that I could not at
January ist to May i/th, 1896. 591
once get sight of them, although Pettersen was pointing
in their direction. At last I saw them trotting along
slowly towards the ship. About 150 yards away they
stopped. I tried to take aim at them, but as it was still
too dark to be sure of my shot, I waited a little, hoping
that they would come nearer. They stood for a time
staring at the ship, but then wheeled round and sneaked
off again. I asked Pettersen if he had something to fry
which would smell really nice and strong and entice the
bears back. He stood ruminating a little, then ran
downstairs, and came up again with a pan of fried butter
and onions. '* I am blowed if I haven't got something
savoury for them," he said, and tossed the pan up on the
rail. The bears had long been out of sight. It was
cold, 35 degrees I should think, and I hurried down to
get my fur coat on, but before I had done so Bentzen
came running down and told me to make haste, as the
bears were coming back. We tore on deck at full speed,
and now had the animals well within range, about 100
metres away. I squatted down behind the rail, took a
good aim, and — missed fire. The bears were a little
startled, and seemed to be contemplating a retreat. I
quickly cocked the rifle again and fired at the largest
one. It fell head over heels, with a tremendous roar.
Then I fired at the second one. It first turned a fine
somersault before it fell. After that they both got up
and took a few steps forward, but then they both came
down again. I gave them each one of the two cartridges
592 Chapter IV.
I had left, but still this was not enough for these long-
lived animals. Pettersen was very much interested in
the sport. Without any weapon he ran down the gang-
way and away towards the bears, but then he suddenly
had misgivings and called to Bentzen to follow him
Bentzen, who had no weapons either, was naturally not
very keen about running after two wounded bears.
After getting some more cartridges, I met Pettersen
midway between the bears and the Fi'am, The animals
were now crawling along a pressure-ridge. I stopped at a
distance of 30 yards, but first of all I had to shout to
Pettersen, who, in his eagerness, hurried on before me,
and now stood just in the line of fire. At last the great
she-bear got her death-wound, and I ran along the pres-
sure-ridge in order to see where the other one had got
to. Suddenly it stuck its head up over the ridge, and I
at once sent a shot through its neck close up to the
head.
All hands were then called out, and great was the
rejoicing. Our mouths watered at the thought of the
delicious fresh meat we should now enjoy for a long time.
It was about 16 months since we had last shot a bear,
and for 14 months we had not had any fresh meat,
except one or two dishes of seals and birds shot during
the summer. We blessed Pettersen's savoury frying-pan.
The bears were cut up and made into steaks, rissoles,
roasts, etc. Even the bones we laid aside to make soup
of. The ribs were the most succulent. We had them
January ist to May 17th, 1896. 593
or dinner, and everybody voted that a sirloin of bear
was a dish for a king. Accordingly we all ate very large
helpings, with heartfelt wishes that it might not be long
before some bears again paid us a visit.
After this Pettersen became so infatuated with bear-
hunting that he talked of it early and late. One day he
got it into his head that some bears would come during
the night. He had such a belief in his forebodings that
he made all possible preparations for the night, and got
Bentzen to join forces with him. Bentzen had the
morning watch; and was to call him as soon as the bears
appeared. A merry fellow, who wanted to make sure of
seeing Pettersen bear-hunting, had taken the precaution
to hang a little bell on Bentzen's rifle, so that he could
hear when they started. Unfortunately no bear appeared.
Pettersen, however, had so set his heart on shooting a
bear, that I had to promise to let him have a shot some
time when I myself was by and had a charge ready,
in case the inconceivable should happen, and Pettersen
should miss — a mishap which he would find it very hard
to get over.
On Sunday, March 8th, we had another instance of
a sudden change in temperature like that of February
2 1 St. In the morning it was cloudy, with a fresh breeze
from the E.N.E., but at 3 p.m. the wind fell, and at
6 o'clock changed to a light S.S.E. breeze. At the same
time the temperature rose from — 26^ C. (— 14*8° F.)
to — 8° C. (+ 17-6° F.), and it was very pleasant to
VOL. II. 2 Q
594 Chapter IV.
saunter round on the half-deck in the evening and
breathe the mild air.
On March 4th we saw the sun for the first time.
It should have been visible the day before, but then
it was too cloudy. By way of compensation, it was
now a double festival day, as we could celebrate both
the return of the sun and Nordahl's birthday in one.
On March 14th it was one year since Nansen and
Johansen commenced their long ice-journey. The day
was celebrated by a better dinner, with coffee after-
wards and a punch-bowl in the evening.
Besides the usual scientific observations, which were
continued without any interruptions worth mentioning,
we also took soundings during the winter, but did not
reach bottom with a 3,000 metre-line (1,625 fathoms).
On April 13th Scott-Hansen and I took an observa-
tion with the theodolite, and Nordahl an observation
with the sextant, on the natural horizon. According
to the theodolite, the latitude was 84" 11 '5', and by
the sextant 84° 13'. We had previously ascertained
that there was a difference of about two minutes between
the artificial and natural horizons. In using the natural
horizon a smaller latitude is obtained, even though there
is no mirage. The deviation will, however, under favour-
able circumstances seldom exceed two minutes. But if
there is much mirage, it becomes almost impossible to
obtain a fairly correct result. As a rule, therefore, in
taking observations in the drift-ice, one has to use the
January ist to May 17th, 1896. 595
artificial horizon or theodolite, if a very exact result is
desired.
As the time passed on towards spring the days became
longer, and more rifts and channels were formed round
the ship. It was time to think of beginning preparations
for forcing the Fr-afii ahead as soon as sufficiently large
openings should appear in the ice. The things stored on
the ice had been frequently shifted about in the course of
the winter, but as the ice became more broken up, it was
of little use to shift them. So in the middle of April we
took the winter depot on board and stowed it away in the
main hold. We also took on board the sacks from the
coal depot, while the barrels and hogsheads, together
with the dog-biscuits, kayaks, and sledges, were for the
present left upon the ice. The sun at this time became
so strong, that on April 19th the snow began to melt
away on the tent ; along the ship's side it had been
melting for several days.
The first harbinger of spring we saw this year was a
snow-bunting, which made its appearance on the evening
of April 25th. It took up permanent quarters in one of
the sealing-boats, where it was treated with groats and
scraps of food, and soon got very tame. It favoured us
with its presence for several days, and then flew away.
The Frani had evidently been a welcome resting-place
for it ; it had eaten its fill, and gathered new strength for
the remainder of its journey. On May 3rd we were
again visited by a snow-bunting, and a couple of days
2 Q 2
596 Chapter IV.
later by two more. I fancy it was our former guest, who
in the meantime had found its mate, and now returned
with her to call and thank us for our hospitality. They
remained with us about an hour, and did their best to
cheer us with their chirping and twittering ; but as the
dogs would not give them any peace, but chased them
everywhere they finally took flight, and did not return
again.
After the first few days in May, we removed the
temporary deck, which had been laid over the davits,
cleared the main-deck, and took both the sealing-boats
and the long-boats on board. The gangway was also
removed, and a ladder put in its place. Next we
shipped the rest of the coal depot, the dog provisions,
and the sledges ; in fact, we took in everything that was
left on the ice. All that was now left to be done was to
get the engine ready for getting up steam, and this we
set about on May i8th.
The dogs got on well in their kennels on the ice, in
spite of the prolonged and intense cold, and we had very
"little, trouble with them. But after the first month in the
New Year some of the bigger dogs became so fierce
towards the smaller ones that we had to take two of the
w^orst tyrants on board and keep them locked up for a
time. They also did a good deal of mischief whenever
they had an opportunity. One day, for instance, they
began to gnaw at the kayaks that were placed on the top
of the largest dog-kennel. However, we got hold of
January ist to May i/th, 1896. 597
them in time before any serious damage was done, and
cleared away the snow round the kennel, so that they
could not climb up again to go on with this amusement.
On February loth one of " Sussi's " puppies littered.
We took her on board, and laid her in a large box filled
with shavings. We allowed her to keep only one of her
five pups ; we killed two at once, one was born dead,
and she had devoured her first-born, the cannibal !
Some days later " Kara" had a litter. She was the only
one of the dogs who manifested any maternal instinct.
It was quite touching to see her, and we felt sorry to
have to take the pups away from her ; but we were
forced to make away with them, not only because it was
impossible to bring them up at that time of the year, but
also because the mother herself was only a puppy,
delicate and diminutive.
In the beginning of March the October whelps were
let out all day, and on March 5th we put them,
with the older dogs, under the hood of the fore-com-
panion. In the evening the cover was put on, and when
during the night the hole near the edge of the ice became
filled up with snow, it got so warm in the hutch that the
hoar-frost and ice melted, and all the dogs got wet. The
pups felt the cold terribly when they were let out in the
morning, and we therefore took them down into the
saloon, until they were warm again.
CHAPTER V.
The Third Summer.
On May 17th the Fram was In about "^^ 45' N. lat.
and 12° 50' E. long. We again celebrated the day
with a flag procession, as on the previous May 17th.
Mogstad sat on the bear-skins in the sledge, driving a
team of seven dogs, and with the band {i.e., Bentzen)
at his side. Just as we were arranging the procession
for the march upon the ice, five female narwhals
suddenly appeared, and immediately afterwards a small
seal was seen in the lane abreast of the ship — an
enlivening sight, which we accepted as a good omen
for the coming summer.
The great hummock, which was the scene of our
merry-makings on May 17th last year, was now so
far away and so difficult to reach on account of lanes
and rugged ice, that the festivities in the open air were
limited to the fiag procession. The cortege took its
way southwards, past the thermometer-hut, to the lane,
thence northwards along the lane, and then back to the
ship, where it dispersed, but not before it had been
photographed.
The Third Summer. 599
At 12 o'clock a salute was fired, after which we sat
down to an excellent dinner, with genuine '' Chateau la
Fram,'' vintage 1896.'" The table was laid with great
taste, and there was an elegant paper napkin at each
cover, with the word Frani in the corner and the
following inscription : —
'• The Seventeenth May, our memorial day,
Recalls what our fathers have done ;
It cheers us and heartens us on to the fray,
And shows us that where there's a will there's a way,
And, with right on our side, we may hope to display
The proud banner of victory won."
During the dinner speeches were made in honour of
the day, of Norway, of Nansen and Johansen, etc.
During the days following May 17th we were occupied
in getting the engine and its appurtenances ready for
work and clearing the rudder-well and the propeller-
well. First we attempted to pump water into the
boiler through a hose let down into a hole out upon the
ice. But the cold was still so intense that the water
froze in the pump. We were obliged to carry water in
buckets and pour it into the boiler by means of a canvas
hose, made for the occasion and carried from the boiler
* This claret was made for the occasion, and consisted of the juice
of dried red whortleberries and bilberries, with the addition of a little
spirits. I was highly complimented on this beverage, and served it
again on other occasions.
6cMD Chapter V.
to the hatchway above the engine-room. Amundsen
thought at first that he had got the bottom cock clear
so that he could let the water run direct into the boiler,
but it soon became evident that it was too slow work as
long as there was still any ice around the cock. Later
on we hoisted the funnel and lighted the furnaces, and
on the afternoon of May 19th the steam was up for the
first time since we got into the ice in the autumn
of 1893.
Next we cut away as much of the ice as possible in
the propeller- well, and carried a steam hose down into it.
It was very effectual. We also attempted to use the
steam for melting away the ice in the propeller-sheath
around the shaft, but without apparent success. We
easily procured water for the boiler now by filling the
water-tank on the deck with ice and melting it with steam.
After supper we went down into the engine-room to
try to turn the shaft, and finally we succeeded in giving it
a three-quarters turn. This was victory, and we were
all fully satisfied with the day's work.
The following day we melted away the ice in the
rudder- well by steam, and at 1.30 p.m. Amundsen began
to "move " the engine. Some large pieces of ice floated
up from the rudder-stock or frame ; we fished them up,
and everything was in order. Amundsen let the engine
work some time, and everybody was down with him to
see the wonder with their own eyes, and to be convinced
that he really had got it to turn round.
1
The Third Summer. 601
This was quite an event for us. It filled us with
renewed courage and the hope of soon getting out of our
long captivity, though the way might be ever so long and
weary. The Fram was no longer a helpless ball, tossed
to and fro at the caprice of the drift-ice. Our gallant
ship had awakened to renewed life after her year-long
winter sleep, and we rejoiced to feel the first pulsations of
her strongly beating heart. It seemed as if the Fram
understood us, and wanted to say : ** Onward ! south-
ward ! homeward ! "
The state of the ice around the ship, however, was
still far from being so favourable as to give us any
prospect of getting out just at present. It is true
tha<" symptoms of spring began to show themselves :
the temperature rose, and the snow vanished rapidly :
but we still remained at about the same latitude where
we had been lying for months, namely at about 84°.
From the crow's-nest, indeed, we could see a large
channel, which extended southwards as far as the eye
could reach ; but to get through the belt of ice, over 200
yards wide, which separated us from it, was impossible
before the thick pack-ice slackened somewhat. We,
therefore, made no attempt to blast the ship free, but
devoted our time to various .duties on board, did what-
ever was left undone, got the steam windlass in order,
examined all our cordage, and so forth.
In the hole in the ice, which was always kept open
for the sinking of the log-line, we had placed the
6o2 Chapter V.
heads of the two bears, so that the amphlpodes might
pick off the meat for us, a task which they usually
perform quickly and effectually. One day, when a
swarm of amphipodae appeared above the bears' heads,
Scott- Hansen caught a lot of them in a bag-net, and had
them cooked for supper, intending to give us a regular
treat. But we were sadly disappointed. There was not
a particle of meat on the miserable creatures, nothing
but shells and emptiness. If we put a couple of dozen
into our mouths at a time, they tasted somewhat like
shrimps. But I am afraid that were we limited to such
fare, and nothing else, we should soon diminish un-
pleasantly in weight.
In the later days of May the prospects became
brighter, as the wind changed to half a gale from the
east and north. The ice began to drift slowly towards
the south-west, and continued to slacken at the same
time, so that on May 29th we could see to the southward
a good deal of open water, with dark sky above, as far as
the eye could reach.
After several requests had been made to me, I decided
to make an attempt at blasting the vessel clear. At
I p.m. we fired a mine of no lbs. of gunpowder. It
had an astonishingly good effect, wrenching up heavy
masses of ice and sending them rushing out into the
channel. Our hopes revived, and it really seemed
that another such blasting would entirely liberate
the vessel. Immediately after dinner we went to
The Third Summer. 60
o
work to lay another large mine, 20 yards abaft the
stern. It gave us an incredible amount of work to
make a hole in the ice to get the charge down. We
first drilled a hole ; then we tried to make it larger by
blowing it out by means of small gunpowder charges,
and later with gun-cotton ; but it was of no avail. Then
we had to resort to lances, ice-picks, steam, in short, to
every possible means, but all in vain. The ice had,
however, got so cracked in all directions, ow^ing to the
many charges which had been exploded in the same
place, that we presumed that a large mine in the log-line
hole would blow up the whole mass. As the ice was
thinner at that part, the mine was lowered to a depth of
10 yards. It exploded with terrific effect. A mighty
column of water was forced as high as the foretop. It
did not consist of water alone, but contained a good
many lumps of ice, which rained down for some distance
round. One piece of over i cwt. came down right
through the tent, and on to the forecastle ; other pieces
flew over the vessel, and fell on the starboard side.
Scott- Hansen and Henriksen, who were standing on the
ice at the electric battery used for firing the mine, were
not pleasantly situated when the mine exploded. When
the shock came, they of course started to run as fast as
their legs would carry them, but they did not get away
quickly enough to reach the deep snow. The pieces of
ice rained unmercifully down upon their backs. After a
great deal of trouble, we laid and fired two other large
6o4 Chapter V.
gunpowder mines, besides some smaller ones, but without
much effect. We then began to drill holes for two gun-
cotton mines, which were to be fired simultaneously.
But when we had got down two-and-a-half drill-lengths
the screw broke, and before we could proceed we had
to file new grooves on the other drill, which had become
worn. At 12 o'clock at night we knocked off work,
after having been at it unceasingly since the morning.
Next day at 6 o'clock the boring was continued. But
the ice was so hard and difficult to work at, that,
although four men were handling the drill, we had to
erect a small crane with tackle to hoist the drill out
every time it got clogged. The ice was so thick, that it
took four drill-lengths (about 20 feet) to make a hole
through it. One of the gun-cotton mines was now-
lowered into the hole, while the other was put beneath
the edge of an old channel by means of a long
pole. Both mines were fired simultaneously, but only
one exploded. We connected the wires, and then the
other went off too. But the result was far from answering
our expectations. Although the large mines were carried
down to a depth of 20 yards where the ice was thin, the
resistance was too oreat for us.
The blasting was now discontinued till June 2nd, when
during the night the ice opened up along the old lane
close to the vessel. First we fired a crun-cotton mine riorht
abaft. It took effect and split the ice close to the stern.
Next we drilled a hole about 16 feet deep right abreast
The Third Summer. 605
of the ship, and loaded it with 10 prismer, or 330 grammes,
of gun-cotton (equivalent to about 30 lbs. of ordinary
gunpowder) ; but as I thought it would be too risky to
explode a mine of this strength so near the vessel, we
first fired a small gunpowder mine of 1 1 lbs. to see what
effect it would have. The result was insignificant, so the
large mine was fired. It made things lively indeed !
The ship received such a shock, that one of the paintings
and a rifle fell down on the floor in the saloon, and the
clock in my cabin w^as hurled from the wall. It was
evidently felt in the engine-room as well, for Amundsen
had a bottle and a lamp-chimney smashed. On the ice the
explosion took such good effect, that the ship nearly broke
loose at one blow ; she was now merely hanging on a little
forward and aft. With a little more work we might have
got quite clear the same evening, but I left her as she
was to avoid the trouble of mooring her. Instead of
that we had something extra after supper ; we considered
that we had done such a good stroke of work that day
that we deserved a reward.
Next morning we blew away the ice that held our bow.
I myself took a pick-axe and commenced to hack away
at the ice which held the stern fast. I had hardly been
at work at this for more than four or five minutes before
the vessel suddenly gave a lurch, settled a little deeper at
the stern, and moved away from the edge of the ice, until
the hawsers became taut. She now lay about 6 inches
higher at the bow than when she froze fast in the autumn.
6o6
Chapter V.
Thus the Fram was free, and ready to force her way
throuo-h the ice as soon as the circumstances would
permit. But we were still unable to move.
Even in the month of May there had been signs of
I
THE " FRAM BEFORE HER RELEASE.
whales and seals in the channels, and an occasional sea-
bird had also put in an appearance. During the months
of June and July there was still more animal life around
us, so that we could soon go in for hunting to our hearts'
\
The Third Summer. 607
content. During the summer we not only shot a number
of fulmars, black guillemots, skuas, auks, and little auks,
but also a couple of eider ducks, and even a brace of
broad-billed sand piper. We also shot a number of
small seals, but only got hold of six ; the others sank so
rapidly that we could not reach them in time. As a
matter of course, we welcomed every opportunity of a
hunting expedition, especially when there was a bear in
the case. It was not often he did us the honour, but the
greater was the excitement and interest when his appear-
ance was announced. Then the lads would get lively,
and hastily prepare to give the visitor a suitable reception.
Altogether we killed sixteen or seventeen full-grown bears
during the summer, and a young one, which we captured
alive, but had to kill later on, as it made a fearful noise
on board.
One night in the beginning of June, when Henriksen
was on his way to the observation-house to take the
readings of the instruments, a bear suddenly came upon
him. Before starting on his scientific quest, he had been
prudent enough to go up on the bridge to have a look
around and see whether the coast was clear ; but he did
not observe anything suspicious. When he approached
the observation-house he suddenly heard a hissing
sound close by, and caught sight of a grinning bear,
which was standing at a pressure-ridge staring at him.
Naturally Henriksen felt anything but comfortable at
this unexpected meeting, unarmed as he was. He at
6o8 Chapter V.
first considered whether he should beat a dignified
retreat, or whether he should fly at the top of his
speed. Both parties were equally far from the vessel ;
and if the bear had evil intentions, it might be advis-
able to retreat without delay before he approached any
nearer. Peter started off as fast as he could, and was not
sure whether the beast was not at his heels ; but he
reached the vessel safely and seized his gun, which was
standing ready on deck. Before he came out upon the
ice again, the dogs had scented the bear, and at once
attacked him. The bear at first jumped up on the
observation-house, but the dogs followed, so down he
went again, and with such alacrity, too, that Henriksen
had no time to fire. The bear started off to the nearest
channel, where he disappeared both from the dogs and
the hunter. In his eagerness " Gorm " jumped out
upon some pieces of ice which were floating in the thick
brash in the channel, and being afraid to jump back
again, sat there howling. I heard the wailing, and
soon caught sight of him from the crow's-nest, whereupon
Scott-Hansen and I started off" and rescued him.
Some days later, at about lo o'clock in the morning,
we heard Nordahl crying, " Bear !" and all hurried on
deck with our rifles. But the dogs had had the start
of us, and had already put the bears to flight. Mogstad
perceived, however, from the crow's-nest, that the dogs
had come up with them at a small lane, where they had
taken the water, and he then came down to tell me. He
The Third Summer. 609
and I started off in pursuit. The condition of the ice
was good, and we made rapid progress ; but as we had
the wind on our side, it was some time before we could
distinguish the barking of the dogs so as to be able to
guide ourselves by it. Presently I caught sight of one
of the dogs behind a small ridge ; soon I saw some more,
and at last I sighted the bears. They were both sitting
on a floe in the channel, leaning with their backs against
a big piece of ice. Two of the dogs had jumped out
upon the floe, while the others stood on guard round the
channel or pool. The dogs had played their part well
keeping such a close watch upon the bears that we had
no difficulty in giving them their quietus. They both
tumbled over on the spot ; but as they moved slightly, we
gave them a final shot, just to make sure.
Well, there they lay. But to get out to them, was not
so easy. Finally, having walked round the pool, we suc-
ceeded in getting out upon the floe from the other side,
where the distance from the solid ice was less and where
some small floes formed a kind of bridge. We cleaned
the game, and then tried to haul the bodies over upon
the solid ice. This we accomplished by putting a running
noose over the muzzles of the bears and pulling them
through the water to the edge of the ice, where we
pushed some small floes beneath them ; and then, with our
united strength, we hauled them up. When homeward
bound, we met Nordahl, Pettersen, Bentzen, Henriksen,
and the mate, who had guessed from the report of our
VOL. II. 2 R
6io
Chapter V.
Sfuns that there was business on hand, and had started
out to meet us with sledges and harness for the
dogs. The sledges were lashed together, one bear
was placed on each, and, with nine dogs harnessed
to them and a man sitting astride each bear, off they
went at such a speed that the rest of us had to run to
keep pace with them.
On the night of June 24th we again received a visit
from two bears. Nordahl discovered them when, at
1 2 o'clock, he went out to the observation-house ; he
came running back, and called those who had not yet
gone to bed. But when they hurried out upon the ice
the bears saw them immediately and disappeared.
Three days later a she-bear, with a young cub, came
trotting towards the vessel at noon. We burned some
blubber in order to attract them, but the bear was very
cautious, and it was some time before she approached
to within 200 to 300 yards. Then the mate could not
restrain himself any longer and fired, so the rest of us
sent her a few shots at the same time, and she fell
after walking a few paces. Some of us took the
''pram" and pulled across to the place, as there was
a wide channel between the bear and the vessel. The
cub, poor thing, was a fine little fellow, with almost
perfectly white fur and a dark muzzle ; it was about
the size of one of our smallest dogs. When they came
up, he sat down on his mother's body, and remained
there quite still, seeming for the present to take matters
The Third Summer. 6ii
cahiily. Henriksen put a strap around his neck, and
when the mother was conveyed to the channel he
followed quite willingly, and sat down on her back
again when she was towed across. But when, on
arriving at the ship, he found he was to be separated
from his mother and brought on board, it was quite
another story. He resisted with all his strength, and
was in a perfect rage. He got worse when he was
let loose under the companionhatch on board. He
carried on like a frenzied being, biting, tearing, growling,
and howling with wild rage, like a veritable fiend,
ceasing only as long as he was occupied in devouring
the pieces of meat thrown to him. Never have I seen
in any one creature such a combination of all the most
savage qualities of wild beasts as I found in this little
monster. And he was still quite a cub ! In the evening
I gave orders to rid us of this unpleasant passenger, and
Mogstad ended his days with a well-aimed blow of the
hatchet.
For about a fortnight we saw no bears, but during the
night of July 12th we had a visit from three, one of
which, after a hot pursuit, was killed by Scott-Hansen,
the mate, Nordahl, and Bentzen. The dogs, too, did
good service this time. The other two bears sneaked
off at the first shot, and were lost to sight in the fog.
On the evening of July i8th, Mogstad and I shot a
bear, which we should hardly have got hold of but for the
sagacity and alacrity of '' Bella." The dogs at first
2 R 2
6i2 Chapter V.
attacked him once or twice, but after a short resistance
he jumped into the water, and crossed over two broad
lanes, which it took the dogs a long time to get round.
He was just about to plunge into a third channel, when
'' Bella," who in the meantime had come round, inter-
cepted him not 20 feet from the edge. At a distance of
200 or 300 yards Mogstad fired, and was lucky enough
to hit him in the head, bringing him down, and he now
made only some feeble attempts to keep the dogs off. I
then sent him a shot behind the shoulder ; but, as he
was not quite dead, Mogstad gave him the final one.
On July 20th the mate shot a large bear, which came
swimming across a channel ; and we killed our last bear
on the evening of August 6th, but in such an awkward
position that we had to leave the meat, and it was as
much as we could do to get the hide on board.
In the matter of birds, we were also pretty fortunate.
For instance, Scott- Hansen and I one night shot 9 little
auks, I kittiwake, and i skua, and the following day 21
more little auks and 2 black guillemots. Henriksen in one
day's shooting bagged 18 little auks and 1 black
guillemot, and Nordahl, 26 little auks and i black
guillemot ; and later on, when there had been an abun-
dance of game for some days, we killed as many as 30 to
40 birds in the course of a few hours.
This hunting life had not only a beneficial effect upon
our spirits, which occasionally were rather low, but it also
gave us an appetite, which sometimes w^as quite ravenous.
The Third Summer. 6i
J
When we were weighed at the end of the month, we
found that, whereas some of us had previously been losing-
weight, we had now steadily and uniformly increased
from the time when auk's breast, roast guillemot, stewed
kittiwake, skua soup, and last, but not least, ribs of bear,
became the daily fare on board.
Indeed, we stood in need of all the encouragement and
good living which our hunting procured us. The state
of the ice was anything but cheering, and the prospect of
getting out of it during the present year became less
every day.
During the first days following the release of the Frarn,
the ice was comparatively quiet ; but on June 8th and
9th we had some bad pressures, especially on the latter
day, when the stern of the vessel was pressed about
6 feet upwards, so that the rudder-well was quite out ot
the water, while the bow was raised about 2 feet, with 4°
list to port. On the 10th and i ith the pressure was also
strong, especially during the night, from 11.30 p.m. till
3 or 4 a.m.
Finally, the ice slackened so much on the morning of
June 1 2th, that there was a prospect of warping the
vessel some distance ahead. As the brash was still very
thick, we did not think it possible to haul ourselves along
without using the steam windlass, so I gave orders to
start a fire under the boiler. But before steam was up
the channel opened so much that we succeeded in warping
the ship through the narrowest passage. When steam
6 14 Chapter V.
was up we steamed through the pool, where I had found a
good berth for the ship. As the rudder was not yet
shipped, I had sometimes to go astern, so as to be able to
turn the vessel. We remained there till June 14th, when
the ice slackened a little, and we saw a channel in a
S.S.W. direction, and determined to make for it. So we
lighted the furnace, shipped the rudder, and made at full
speed for a narrow rift, which led into the channel. Time
after time we forced the vessel into the rift, but all in
vain : the edges would not budge a hair's-breadth. I let
the vessel remain for some time working at full speed,
endeavouring to force the rift, altering the position of the
rudder occasionally. This manoeuvre was partially
successful, as we got the vessel into the rift as far as
the fore-rigging. But that was all we could do. The
opening began to close up, and we had to return and
moor in the same place as before. This was all the more
provoking as the whole opening was not longer than
about three-fourths the ship's length.
We remained there till the evening of the 27th, when
the ice slackened so much that I decided to make a new
attempt. We got up steam and commenced to force the
ice at 1 1.30. It was slow work in the heavy ice, and at
2 o'clock we had to moor the ship, having advanced
about 2 miles S.E. by S. We tried the engine this
time as a compound engine, with a favourable result. It
made 160 revolutions per minute ; but the consumption
of coal was of course correspondingly greater, almost
The Third Summer. 615
twice as much as usual. We remained there about a
week, until on July 3rd the ice opened sufficiently to
allow us to advance about 3 miles through a channel,
which ran S.S.W. - During the night between the 6th
and the 7th we made another attempt to force the ice,
but had only made about i mile when we had to moor
again.
The southerly wind which predominated at that time
held the ice thickly packed together, and there was no
drift to speak of. On the other hand, there had been
since the middle of June a good deal of current, owing to
the set of the tide. We could not, however, observe
that the current really flowed in any definite direction ;
sometimes the line would show every point in the
compass during the 24 hours. The current was, however,
often very strong, and would occasionally spin the ice-
floes around in the channels in a way that made the
spectator feel quite giddy. The ship, too, would often
receive such violent shocks from these dancing floes and
blocks of ice, that loose objects tumbled clown, and the
whole rigging shook. The sea continued very deep.
For instance, on July 6th we could not get bottom at 3,000
metres (1,625 fathoms) ; but two days later — we were
then about 83° 2' N. lat. — we took soundings and reached
bottom at 3,400 metres (1,841 fathoms).
On July 6th we succeeded in warping the ship some
two or three short stretches at a time, but it was
slow and hard work : the ice was bad, and the contrary
6i6 Chapter V.
wind impeded us very much. But though progress was
slow, yet progress it was, and I gave orders that the ship
should be hauled along as often as there was any oppor-
tunity to advance a little southwards.
But although we struggled along in this manner for
short distances at a time, the observation on the 13th
revealed to us the fact that we had actually been drifting
a considerable way backward, having returned to
S^"^ 12 N. kit. It might seem ridiculous, under such
circumstances, to continue pushing forward ; but, gloomy
as the prospects were, we tried to keep up our hopes,
and were ready to utilise the very first chance which
should present itself
Late in the evening of July 17th, the ice began to
slacken so much that we decided to get up steam. True,
it closed up again at once, but nevertheless we kept up
steam. Nor were we disappointed, for at i o'clock in
the morning the water opened so much that we were able
to steam ahead, and we made 3 miles in a southerly
direction. Later in the morning we were stopped by an
immense floe of ice, extending many miles ; and we had to
make fast. The whole day following we remained there.
About midnight the ice slackened a good deal, but the
fog was so dense that we could see nothing. At last, on
the 19th, we made what we considered excellent headway
Starting when the fog lifteci a little in the forenoon, we
made about 10 miles from 12.30 p.m. till 8 p.m. This
stroke of good luck made our spirits revive wonderfully,
The Third Summer. 617
and they rose still more the following day when, notwith-
standing the fog, and though we had to stop three times,
we advanced from Si,"^ \\ in the morning till 82° 52' at
noon and 82° 39' midnight. From the 20th to the 27th
we continued to make good progress. By midnight on
the last-named day we had reached 81° 32' N. lat.
From July 27th till August 2nd it was slow and tire-
some work. By August 2nd we had not got beyond
81° 26' N, lat. At the same time we had been carried
some distance eastwards, namely, to 13" 41' E. long.
On Monday, August 3rd, we made about 2 miles to
the south-west, but had to remain moored in impossible
waters till the 8th, when it slackened so much around
the vessel that we were able to proceed again at 9 a.m.
However, we had only made about 6 miles, when we
were stopped by a long, narrow strait. We tried
blasting with ordinary gunpowder, and later with gun-
cotton, and time after time we steamed full speed against
the smaller floes that blocked the strait, but without
effect. These floes, as a rule, are not so small and
innocent as they appear. They consist generally of the
fragments of old, thick, and very tough pressure-ridges
which have been broken up. When these pieces get
free, they sink deep below the surface of the water,
leaving only a comparatively insignificant part of them
discernible, while the lower parts may be very large. It
was precisely this description of floe that blocked the
channel against us. They were so tough that it was
6i8 Chapter V.
useless to try to break them with the stem of the vessel,
although we repeatedly made at them with full speed.
We could plainly see how the tough old ice bent and
rose up at the shock without breaking. The blasting of
such floes was frequently impracticable, as they were of
such a thickness that we were unable to lay the mine
under them. And even if we succeeded in blowing up
one of these floes, we gained little or nothing, as the
channel was too narrow to allow the pieces to float
astern, and they were too heavy and thick to be forced
beneath the solid edge of ice.
Occasionally it happened that old, thick ice suddenly
emerged from beneath the water in a channel or opening
which we were just about to pass into, thus blocking up
the passage before us. On one of these occasions the
Fram received a blow in the ribs^ that hardly any other
vessel would have withstood. As we were passing
through an open channel I saw from the crow's-nest one
end of a large submerged floe appearing above the edge
of the solid ice, and I immediately gave orders to steer
clear so as to pass round It. But at the very moment
when we reckoned to clear it the floe was released, and
came to the surface with such a rush that the spray rose
high into the air and struck the Fram at the fore-rigging
on the starboard side with such tremendous force that
the ship lurched violently and fell about lo points out
of her course, until she ran up against some small floes.
When the monster floe emerQ^ed it lifted a huee mass of
The Third Summer. 619
water and sent it hke a roaring cataract out into the
channel.
Something similar happened when we occasionally
touched a drifting hummock that was just on the point
of rolling over, owing to the quicker melting of the ice
below the water-line. The slightest push would be
enough to capsize the hummock and turn it over in such
a violent way that the sea around us would become as
agitated as during a storm.
On August 9th we worked the whole day clearing the
channel, but only made slight headway. On the loth
the work was continued, and in the course of the fore-
noon we finally succeeded in getting through. During the
rest of the day we also made some headway to the south
until the ice became impassable, and we were compelled
to make fast at 10 p.m., having made about 2 miles.
On account of the fog, we were unable to take any
observation until the 9th, when we found ourselves in
81° 48' N. lat, the last latitude observation we made in
the drift-ice.
On Tuesday, the i ith, we again proceeded southwards
by dint of arduous labour in clearing floes and brash,
which often blocked our way. At 7.30 p.m. we had to
make fast in a narrow strait, until, in the course of the
night, we cleared the obstacles away and were able to
proceed to the south-west. Progress was, however, slow,
and on the morning of August 1 2th we were stopped by a
very awkward floe. We tried to blast it aw^ay, but while
620 Chapter V.
we were at work on this the Ice tightened up quickly, and
left the vessel imprisoned between two big floes. In the
course of a couple of hours it slackened again in a S.W.
direction, and we steamed off in comparatively fair
channels until 12.30 p.m., when a floe stopped our further
progress. We had made g^ miles in about five hours this
forenoon. Some thin ice now appeared, and from the
crow's-nest we could see, when the fog cleared off a little
for a few moments, several large channels running in a
southerly direction both east and west of our position.
Besides, we noticed an increase in the number of birds and
small seals, and we also saw an occasional bearded seal, all
evidences that we could not be very far from the open water.
Between 3 and 4 p.m. we were released from the floes
which had held us enclosed, and at 5.30 p.m. we steamed
off in a S.E. direction through steadily-improving ice.
The ice now became noticeably thin and brittle, so
that we were able to force the smaller floes. From
5.30 p.m. till midnight we advanced about 16 miles ; the
engine was used as compound during the last watch.
After midnight on August 13th we steered S.W., then
S. and S.E., the ice continuing to grow slacker. At
3 o'clock we sighted a dark expanse of water to the
S.S.E., and at 3.45 we steered through the last ice-floes
out into open water. "^ -
* Twenty-eight days' work of forcing this more or less closely-packed
ice had brought us a distance of 180 miles.
The Third Summer. 621
WE WERE FREE ! Behind us lay three years of
work and hardships, with their burden of sad thought
durinor the loner niorhts, before us life and reunion with
all those who were dear to us. Just a few more days !
A chaos of contending feelings came over each and
every one. For some time it seemed as if we could
hardly realise what we saw, as if the deep blue, lapping
water at the bow were an illusion, a dream. We were
still a good way above the eightieth degree of latitude, and
it is only in very favourable summers that ice-free water
stretches so far north. Were we, perhaps, in a large,
open pool ? Had we still a great belt of ice to clear ?
No, it was real ! The free, unbounded sea was around
us on every side ; and we felt, with a sense of rapture,
how the Fram gently pitched with the first feeble swell.
We paid the final honours to our vanquished
antagonist by firing a thundering salute as a farewell.
One more oaze at the last faint outlines of hummocks
and floes, and the mist concealed them from our view.
We now shaped our course by the compass S.S.E., as
the fog was still so dense that no observation could be
taken. Our plan was at first to steer towards Red Bay,
get our land-fall, and thence to follow the west coast of
Spitzbergen southwards till we found a suitable anchoring-
place, where we could take in water, shift the coal from
the hold into the bunkers, and, in fact, make the Fram
quite ship-shape for our homeward trip.
At 7 a.m., when the fog lifted slightly, we sighted a
62 2 Chapter V.
sail on our port, and shaped our course for her in order
to speak her and try to get some news of Dr. Nansen
and Johansen. In an hour or so we were quite near her.
She was lying to, and did not seem to have sighted
us until we were close on her. The mate then ran
down to announce that a monster ship was bearing down
upon them in the fog. Soon the deck was crowded
with people, and just as the captain put his head out
the Fram passed close up on the weather-side of the
vessel, and we greeted her in passing with a thundering
broadside from our starboard cannon. We then turned
round astern of her, and fired another salute to leeward,
after which "hostilities" were discontinued. No doubt
it was a rather demonstrative way of making ourselves
known to our countrymen, who were lying there so
peacefully, drifting in the morning mist, and probably
thinking more of seals and whales than of the Fram.
But we trust that Captain Botolfsen and his crew will
forgive us our overflowing joy at this our first meeting
with human beings after three long years.
The vessel was the galliot Sostrene (The Sisters), of
Tromso. The first question which was shouted to him
as we passed alongside was this : '' Have Nansen and
Johansen arrived } " We had hoped to receive a roaring
"Yes," and were ready to greet the answer with a thunder-
ing " Hurrah " and salute ; but the answer we got was
short and sad, "No."
Captain Botolfsen and some of his crew came on
The Third Summer. 623
board to us, and had to go through a regular cross-fire
of questions of every conceivable kind. Such an
examination they had certainly never been subjected to,
and probably never will be again.
Among the many items of news which we received
was one to the effect that the Swedish aeronaut,
Engineer Andree, had arrived at Danes Island,
intending to proceed thence by balloon to discover the
North Pole.
Botolfsen came with us as a passenger, leaving his
vessel in charge of the mate, and accompanied us as far
as Tromso. We reshaped our course about noon for
Red Bay, intending to steam from there to Danes Island
and see Mr. Andree. About midnio^ht we sigrhted land
ahead, and supposed it to be the cape immediately to the
west of Red Bay. It was 1,041 days since we last saw
land.
We lay to for some time at this point, waiting for the
fog to clear away sufficiently to allow us to find the land-
marks. As it did not clear, we steamed slowly west-
wards, taking frequent soundings, and soon found our-
selves, as we anticipated, right in '' Norsksundet "
(Norwegian Sound), and proceeding up, we anchored at
9.30 a.m. off '' Hollaendernseset " (Dutch Cape). The
fog was now cleared, and we soon saw the steamship
Virgo, of the Andree Expedition, and the balloon-house
ashore.
Through the telescope we could see that our arrival
624 Chapter V.
had been observed, and a steam launch soon came along-
side with Mr. Andree, the other members of the
expedition, and Captain Zachau, of the Virgo.
Neither could these gentlemen give us any news of
the fate of our comrades. Our spirits became still more
depressed than before. We had confidently expected
that Nansen and Johansen would reach home before us.
Now it seemed as if we were to be the first to arrive.
We did not, however, entertain any serious fears for
their safety, especially when we learned that the Jackson
Expedition had spent two winters in Franz Josef Land.
It was highly probable that Dr. Nansen and Johansen
would sooner or later meet with this expedition, and
were, perhaps, only waiting for a chance of getting
home. But if they had not met with Jackson, something
had evidently gone amiss with them, in which case they
needed assistance, and that as soon as possible.
Our plans were soon laid. We would hurry home to
Tromso to get reliable information, and, in case nothing
had been learned there either, we would complete our
coal supply — we were not in want of anything else — and
immediately proceed to Franz Josef Land, to make a
search for them and, as we hoped, have the unspeakable
pleasure of bringing them home to our expectant father-
land in our own faithful Frani.
Our stay at Danes Island was consequently cut as
short as possible. We paid visits to the Virgo, saw the
balloon, which was now ready to start as soon as a
The Third Summer. 625
favourable wnid would permit of it, and received return
visits from our amiable Swedish friends. During- the
night we finished taking in water and shifting the coal ;
the vessel was ready for sea, and at 3 a.m. on
August 15th the Frani steamed off, with sails set, through
Sneerenburg Bay and out to sea.
During the passage across we had good weather and
a fair and often fresh breeze, the vessel making good
speed : upwards of 9^ knots.
At 9 a.m. on the 19th we saw the first blue ridges of
our native mountains. By noon we sighted Logo, and
at 8 p.m. the north point of Loppen. Then we steered
into Kvsenangen F'jord, and anchored off Skjaervo at
2 o'clock in the morning of August 20th.
As soon as the anchor had fallen, I called the doctor
and Scott-Hansen, who both wanted to go ashore with
me. But as they were too slow with their toilet, I asked
Bentzen to put me ashore in the pram, and was soon at
the telegraph station, where I tried to knock life into the
people by thundering with my clenched fists first at one
door, then at another, but for a long time in vain. At
last a man put his head out of a window on the second
floor to inquire what kind of night-prowlers were
making such a disturbance. It was the chief of the
telegraph station himself. He describes the nocturnal
incident In a letter to one of the Christlania newspapers
in the following pleasant manner : —
'' It was with anything but amiable feelings and Inten-
VOL. II. 2 s •
626 Chapter V.
tions that at about half-past four I turned out to see
what wretch it was who was making such a lively rattle
at my front door. Rather lightly clad, I put my
head out of the window, and roared out, ' Hallo !
What's the matter ? Deuce of a noise to make at
this time of night ! '
'* A man dressed in grey, with a heavy beard, stepped
forward. There was something about his appearance
that made me think at once that I had perhaps been
somewhat too hasty in giving vent to my displeasure at
being called up, and I felt a little crestfallen when he slily
remarked, ' Yes, that's true ; but all the same I must ask
you to open the door : I come from the Fram! Imme-
diately it dawned upon me who it was. It could be none
other than Sverdrup. ' Coming directly, Captain,' I
answered, and jumping into the most necessary clothes,
down I went to let him in. He was not at all annoyed
at the long waiting, or the unfriendly words with which he
had been received, when he set foot again in his native
country after the long and famous expedition, but was
very kind and good-humoured when I begged his pardon
for the rudeness with which I had received him. In my
inmost heart I made an even warmer apology than I
had stammered out in my first embarrassment.
*' When Sverdrup was seated the first question was
naturally as to the way he had come. They had just
arrived from off the coast of Spitzbergen. On the 13th
they had got out into open water, where they almost
The Third Summer. 627
immediately met with Captain Botolfsen, from Tromso,
who was there with his whaling ship. They had brought
him with them. They had next visited Andree, who
was about to pack up and go home, and had then pro-
ceeded to this place. They had first learned from
Botolfsen, and then from Andree, who ought to have
had some of the latest tidings from Norway, that
nothing was known about Nansen, whom they hoped
to find at home, and the joy they were feeling at the
prospect of reaching home soon was considerably
damped by this news.
'* ' Ah, but I can give you news of Nansen,' said I.
' He arrived at Vardo on August 13th, and is now at
Hammerfest. He's probably starting for Tromso to-day
in an English yacht.'
" ' Has Nansen arrived ? '
" The stalwart form bounded up in a state of ex-
citement rarely shown by this man, and exclaiming
' I must tell the others at once,' he vanished out of
the door.
"A moment later he returned, accompanied by Scott-
Hansen, Blessing, Mogstad, and Bentzen, all of them
perfectly wild with joy at the latest news, which crowned
all, and allowed them to give full vent to their exultation
at being once more in their native land after their long
and wearisome absence, which the uncertain fate of their
leader and his comrade would otherwise have damped.
And they did rejoice! 'Is it true.'* Has Nansen
2 s 2
628 Chapter V.
arrived ? ' was repeated on all sides. ' What a day this
is, what joy ! And what a curious coincidence that
Nansen should arrive on the same day that we cleared
the last ice and steered homeward ! ' And they con-
gratulated each other, all quivering with emotion, these
sturdy fellows.
'* In the early morning two thundering reports were
suddenly heard from the Fravi, followed by the ringing-
cheers of the crew in honour of their absent comrades.
The inhabitants of the place, who were fast asleep, were
quite startled, and soon got out of bed ; but when it
finally dawned upon them that it could be none other
than the Fram, they were not slow in turning out to have
a look at her.
'' As they anchored here, the fragrance of the new-
mown hay was wafted to them from the shore, and to
them it seemed marvellous. The green meadows, with
their humble flowers, and the few trees bent and almost
withered by the merciless wind and weather, looked to
them so delightful, that our poor island was a veritable
Eden in their eyes. ' Yes, to-day they would have a
good roll on the grass.'
*' For the rest, Mother Nature was as smiling and
festally arrayed as could be expected so late in the year
in these northern latitudes. The fjord was calm, as
though it feared by the faintest ripple to interrupt the
tranquillity which enveloped the tried and weather-
beaten warrior now resting upon its smooth surface.
The Third Summer. 629
"They were all quite enthusiastic about the vessel. I
do not believe there is a man on board who does not love
the Fram. Sverdrup declared that a * stronger and finer
ship had never been built, and was not to be found in
the wide world ! ' "
On my way to the fjord, I met 'tvv^ of our comrades.
Nordahl hurried at once on board with the glad tidings,
while the rest of us settled down with the telegraph
manager around a smoking cup of coffee, which tasted
delicious. A better welcome we could not have had. But
it did not end with the coffee or with the telegraph
manager-. Soon the popping of champagne corks
sounded successively in the houses of the store keeper
and local magistrate, while the telegraph manager sent
message upon message announcing our arrival to Dr.
Nansen, His Majesty the King, the Norwegian Govern-
ment, and to relations and friends.
At 10 a.m. we weighed anchor and set off to meet
Nansen and Johansen at Tromso, passed to the north of
Skjaervo, and steamed south. Off Ulfstinden we met
the steamer King Half dan, with 600 passengers on
board, coming from Tromso to meet us. We accepted
the offer to take us in tow, and at 8.30 p.m. the Fram
glided into the harbour of Tromso, accompanied by
hundreds of flag-covered boats, and was received with
cheers and hearty welcome.
630
Chapter V.
Next day, August 25th, at 4 p.m., Sir George Baden-
Powell's steam-yacht Otari'a, with Dr. Nansen and
Johansen on board, arrived. After a separation of
17 months, our number was again complete, and the
Norwegian Polar Expedition was once more united.
I
A
CONCLUSION.
By FRIDTJOF NANSEN.
What, then, are the results of the Norwegian Polar
Expedition ? This is a question which the reader might
fairly expect to find answered here ; but the scientific
observations brought back are so varied and voluminous
that it will be some time yet before they can be dealt
with by specialists and before any general estimate of
their significance can be formed. It will, therefore, be
necessary to publish these results in separate scientific
publications ; and if I now attempted to give an idea
of them, it would necessarily be imperfect, and might
easily prove misleading. I shall, therefore, confine
myself to pointing out a few of their more important
features.
In the first place, we have demonstrated that the sea in
the immediate neighbourhood of the Pole, and in which,
in my opinion, the Pole itself in all probability lies, is a deep
basin, not a shallow one containing many expanses of land
and islands, as people were formerly inclined to assume.
It is certainly a continuation of the deep channel which
6^2 Conclusion.
'J
extends from the Atlantic Ocean northwards between
Spitzbergen and Greenland. The extent of this deep
sea is a question which it is not at present easy to answer ;
but we at least know that it extends a long way north of
Franz Josef Land, and eastwards right to the New
Siberian Islands. I believe that it extends still further
east, as, I think, may be inferred from the fact that, the
more the Jeannette Expedition drifted north, the greater
depth of sea did they find. For various reasons, I am
led to believe that in a northerly direction also this deep
sea is of considerable extent. In the first place, nothing
was observed, either during the drift of the Fram or
during our sledge expedition to the north, that would
point to the proximity of any considerable expanse of
land ; the ice seemed to drift unimpeded, particularly in
a northerly direction. The way in which the drift set
straight to the north as soon as there was a southerly
wind was most striking. It was with the greatest
difficulty that the wind could head the drift back towards
the south-east. Had there been any considerable
expanse of land within reasonable distance to the north
of us, it would have blocked the free movement of the
ice in that direction. Besides, the large quantity of
drift-ice, which drifts southwards with great rapidity,
along the east coast of Greenland all the way down to
Cape Farewell and beyond it, seems to point in the same
direction. Such extensive ice-fields must have a still
larger breadth of sea to come from than that through
I
Conclusion, 633
which we drifted. Had the Frain continued her drift
instead of breaking loose to the north of Spitzbergen,
she would certainly have come down along the coast of
Greenland ; but probably she would not have got close
in to that coast, but would have had a certain quantity of
ice between her and it ; and that ice must come from a
sea lying north of our route. On the other hand, it is
quite probable that land may exist to a considerable
extent on the other side of the Pole between the Pole
and the North American archipelago. It appears to me
only reasonable to assume that this multitude of islands
must extend further towards the north.
As a result of our expedition, I think we can now
form a fairly clear idea of the way in which the drift-ice
is continually moving from one side of the polar basin
north of Behring Strait and the coast of Siberia, and
across the regions around the Pole, and out towards
the Atlantic Ocean. Where geographers at one time
were disposed to locate a solid, immovable, and massive
ice-mantle, covering the northern extremity of our globe,
we now find a continually breaking and shifting expanse
of drift-ice. The evidence which even before our
expedition had induced me to believe most strongly in
this theory is supplied by the Siberian drift-wood that
is continually being carried to Greenland, as well as the
mud found on the ice, as it could scarcely be of other
than Siberian origin. We found several indications of
this kind during our expedition, even when we were
634 Conclusion.
as far north as 86°, furnishing valuable indications as to
the movement of the ice.
The force which sets this ice in motion is certainly
for the most part supplied by the winds ; and as in the
sea north of Siberia the prevailing winds are south-
easterly or easterly, whereas north of Spitzbergen they
are north-easterly, they must carry the ice in the
direction in which we found the drift. From the
numerous observations I made I established the
existence of a slow current in the water under the ice»
travelling in the same direction. But it will be some
time before the results of these investigations can be
calculated and checked.
The hydrographic observations made during the
expedition furnished some surprising data. Thus, for
instance, it was customary to look upon the polar basin
as being filled with cold water, the temperature of which
stood somewhere about — i'5° C. Consequently our
observations showino- that under the cold surface there
was warmer water, sometimes at a temperature eis high
as + i^ C, were surprising. Again, this water was
more briny than the water of the polar basin has been
assumed to be. This warmer and more strongly saline
water must clearly originate from the warmer current of
the Atlantic Ocean (the Gulf Stream), flowing in a north
and north-easterly direction off Novaya Zemlya and
along the west coast of Spitzbergen, and then diving
under the colder, but lighter and less briny, water of the
Conclusion. 635
Polar Sea, and filling up the depths of the polar basin.
As I have stated in the course of my narrative, this
more briny water was, as a rule, warmest at a depth of
from 200 to 250 fathoms, beyond which it would decrease
in temperature, though not uniformly, as the depth
increased. Near the bottom the temperature rose again,
though only slightly. These hydrographic observations
appear to modify to a not inconsiderable extent the
theories hitherto entertained as to the direction of the
currents in the northern seas ; but it is a difficult matter
to deal with, as there is a great mass of material, and its
further treatment will demand both time and patience.
It must therefore be left to subsequent scientific
publications.
Still less do I contemplate attempting to enter here
into a discussion on the numerous magnetic, astronomical,
and meteorological observations taken. At the end of
this work I merely give a table showing the mean
temperatures for each month during the drift of the
Frain and during our sledging expedition.
On the whole, it may probably be said that, although
the expedition has left many problems for the future to
solve in connection with the polar area, it has, never-
theless, gone far to lift the veil of mystery which has
hitherto shrouded those regions, and we have been put
in a position to form a tolerably clear and reasonable idea
of a portion of our globe that formerly lay in darkness,,
which only the imagination could penetrate. And should
6;6 Conclusion.
'J
we in the near future get a bird's-eye view of the regions
around the Pole as seen from a balloon, all the most
material features will be familiar to us.
But there still remains a great deal to be investigated,
and this can only be done by years of observation,
to which end a new drift, like that of the Frani, would
be invaluable. Guided by our experience, explorers will
be in a position to equip themselves still better ; but a
more convenient method for the scientific investigation of
unknown regions cannot easily be imagined. On board
a vessel of this kind, explorers may settle themselves
quite as comfortably as in a fixed scientific station. They
can carry their laboratories with them, and the most
delicate experiments of all kinds can be carried out. I
hope that such an expedition may be undertaken ere long,
and if it goes through Behring Strait and thence north-
wards, or perhaps slightly to the north-east, I shall be very
much surprised if observations are not taken which will
prove of far greater scope and importance than those
made by us. But it will require patience : the drift will
be more protracted than ours, and the explorers must
be well equipped.
There is also another lesson which I think our expedi-
tion has taught, namely, that a good deal can be achieved
with small resources. Even if explorers have to live in
Eskimo fashion and content themselves with the barest
necessaries, they may, provided they are suitably equipped,
make good headway and cover considerable distances
Conclusion.
^M
in regions which have hitherto been regarded as almost
inaccessible.
Meax Temperatures (Fahr.) for every Month during the
Drift of the Fra?n.
Months.
.893.
1894.
1895.
1896.
January
0
0
- 28-1
0
- 35'3
February
-32-1
- 34"2
- 30-5
March .
-35*1
— 30-6
- 17
April .
— 61
- 19*7
- 0-6
May .
+ 13-8
+ IO'2
+ I2'6
June .
+ 29-3
+ 28-0
+ 28-9
July .
...
+ 32-4
+ 32-5
+ 31-8
August
...
+ 30'2
+ 27-3
+ 34-1
September
+ 29-1
+ I7-I
+ 149
October
— II
- 8-5
- 62
November
- 11-6
- 23-4
-23-6
December
— 20'6
-30-8
- 272
638 Conclusion.
Continuous Periods of Temperature under - 40°.
Dates.
Years.
January.
February.
March.
November.
December.
1894 .
II to 12
3 to 7
5 to 15
14 to 15
8 to 10
14 15
II 19
17 19
17 18
27 29
.3 34
25 26
...
30
1895 .
14 18
23 26
9 10
13 16
18 22
19 23
26 28
20 23
7 8
1896 .
29! 18
4 9
4 5
II 20
...
* January.
t December.
The Mean Temperature of the Twenty-four Hours for
THESE Periods.
Years.
January.
February.
March.
November.
December.
0
0
0
0
0
1894 .
-36-8
- 391
-40-5
-48-5
-43*4
-38-6
-47*9
-45*8
— 40-2
- 42-3
- 40*7
- 37*3
- 427
1895 .
- 41-1
-46-3
- 4i'4
-43*1
-42-2
-39*8
- 37*7
".!'''
- 39*5
1896 .
-45-8
- 41-1
-43*2
-35*7
...
...
THE END.
INDEX.
INDEX.
Accounts, statements, I, 57.
Address before Christiania Geographical Society, I, 15.
Address to crew of the Frani^ explaining objects of Sledge Expedition, II,
Adelaide's Island, II, 298.
Adverse opinions on proposed Expedition, I, 41.
Aker's Mechanical Factory, engine of the Fram built at, I, 69.
Alconariir, I, 258.
Alden, the Fram passes, I, 90.
Alexander's Island, II, 324 (Note).
Alexandra Land, II, 443 (Note).
Alga2—
kc-water containing, I, 250, 437, 441, 443, 445 ; II, 363.
Snow coloured by, II, 308 (Note).
Almquist's Islands —
Fram passes, I, 185.
Position on Nordenskjold's Map, I, 169.
American Expeditions, sledges used on, I, 8.
Ammonites, II, 477 (Note).
Amphipodae, I, 222, 236, 358 ; II, 602.
Amundsen, Anton, Chief Engineer of the Frani^ I, 79.
Devotion to engine, I, 210.
Indifference to cold, II, 62.
Andree, visited on Danes Island by crew of Fra?n, II, 623.
Archer, Colin, builder of the Fraui^ I, 58.
Article in " Norsk Tidsskrift for SoviEsen," I, 60.
Farewell salute to, I, 84.
Nansen's thoughts of, on second birthday of the Fram^ I, 493.
Arctic Rose Gull. (See Ross's Gull.)
Arctic thirst, immunity from, on Sledge Journey, II, 126.
VOL. IL 2 T
6\2 Index.
Argillaceous schist, Helland's Foreland, II, 320.
Armitage, member of Jackson-Harmsworth Expedition, II, 463.
Asplenium (Petruschinense), II, 487.
Astronomical instruments, I, 74, 75 ; II, 102.
Astronomical observations —
Hansen in charge of, I, 214.
Method of conducting, I, 322.
Astrup, immunity from scurvy, I, 509.
Auks, II, 222, 244, 262, 308, 312, 320, 351, 403, 404, 410, 414, 437, 438, 451,
457, 488, 607.
Aurora Borealis, I, 221, 259, 269, 273, 275, 281, 372, 374, 386, 389, 476, 483,
490,497; 11,38.
Inclination of magnetic needle probably connected with, II, 16.
Steamers influenced by direction of wind, Nansen's theory, I, 266.
Austria Sound —
Payer's Expedition through, Nansen reading, II, 63.
Sledge Expedition passing through, possibility of, I, 506.
Austro- Hungarian Expedition (1872-74), I, 12.
Awning over deck of the Fram, I, 475.
B.
Bacteria found in ice-water, I, 445.
Baden-Powell, Sir George, meets Nansen at Hammerfest and places his
yacht at his disposal, II, 508.
Balaena, II, 482.
Bandaging lessons, in preparation for Sledge Expedition, II, 60.
Barometers taken on Sledge Expedition, II, 102.
Basalt rocks, II (Note 305), 310, 320, 325, 326, 430, 436, 438, 477, 483.
Cape Flora, formation contrasted with that of Spitzbergen and
North-East Land, II, 477.
Bathing alongside Fram, 392.
Baths—
Fram, I, 364.
Vadso, I, 96.
Bears, I, 155, 181, 229, 243, 246, 285, 299, 385, 387, 432, 444, 450, 494 ; II,
16, 185, 201, 219,267, 291, 300,307, 318,319, 320, 327, 332,335,
343, 354, 3^3, 365, 373, 404, 4ii, 4i5, 4^7, 429, 469, 549, 59o,
607, 6io, 611.
Hansen, Blessing, and Johansen attacked by, I, 226.
Index. 643
Bears — coiiiiiiued —
Johansen's narrow escape from, II, 285.
Bear's-flesh —
Daily meal during winter in hut, II, 370.
Excellence of, II, 272.
Bearskin bed, II, 266.
Bear-trap, I, 298.
Beian, Sverdrup and Professor Brogger join the Frani at, I, 94.
Bek, Andreas, stories of, I, '}i2>^.
Belemnites, II, 477.
Bentzen, Bernt, member of Expedition, I, 81, 95.
Bering Strait-
Current (see that title).
Expedi'.ion taking route, I, 13.
Future expedition through, probable value of, II, 636.
Ice-drift, north of, II, 633.
Bielkoff Island, I, 200.
B'.eloi-Ostrov, I, 141.
Bird-life, I, 414; II, 196, 245, 262, 271, 403, 531, 579 (see also names oi
different species).
Bjornsen, B., greeting on launchinj of the Frani, II, 21.
Black-backed gulls, II, 308.
Black guillemot, I, 414; II, 199, 532, 547, 607, 612.
Blanket-trousers, II, 417.
Blessing, Henrik Greve, doctor and botanist to Expedition, I, 79.
Bandaging lessons to Dr. Nansen and Johansen previous to start on
.Sledge Journey, II, 60.
Bear encounter, I, 226.
Birthday celebrations, I, 223.
Editor of the " Framsjaa," I, 277.
Kayak-building, II, 10.
Photographs copied by, II, 68,
Scientific observations undertaken by, I, 215.
Specimen-collecting, I, 436.
Blomqvist, member of Jackson-Harmsworth Exped'.tion, II, 464,
Sails on the Wind%uard^ II, 499.
Blubber, excellent substitute for butter, II, 254.
Blue-bells, Tundra, Plains of Asia, 1, 113.
Blue gull, I, 414.
Boats —
Carried by the Ffani, I, 72.
Long boat, ready for emergencies, II, 539.
Boats and sledges combined, first use for Arctic Expedition, I, 9.
2 T 2
644 Index.
Books—
FranCs Library, I, 'j^i-
Longing for, during life in hut, II, 395.
Boots, "komager," used on Sledge Journey, II, 95, 196, 423.
Botolfsen, Captain of the Sostrene^ II, 622.
Brandy, injurious in Northern Regions : Dr. Nansen's opinion, I, 131,
Brann Island, conjecture as to position, II, 474.
Bread used on Sledge Journey, II, 104, 174, 217.
Brogger, Professor, joins the Frain at Beian, I, 94.
Brown, Captain of the Windward^ II, 496, 500.
Bruce, Dr., member of Jackson- Harmsworth Expedition, II, 496.
Bruce Island, II, 443 (Note).
Briinnich's guillemot, II, 244.
Bruun, Apothecary, medicine supply contributed by, I, 94.
Bugs on board the Fraj?t, I, 205, 230.
Burgess, Mr., member of Jackson-Harmsworth Expedition, II, 464.
Sails on the Windward, II, 499.
Burgomasters, II, 326, 331, 414.
Butter used on Sledge Journey, II, 105, 214.
C.
Cable, converted into sounding-line, I, 410.
Cape Barents, II, 444.
Cape Buda-Pesth, II, 475.
Cape Butterless, I, 181.
Cape Chelyuskin, I, 190.
Cape Clements Markham, basalt rock, II, 479.
Cape Fisher, II, 436 (Note).
Cape Fhgely —
Distance from proposed starting-point of Sledge Journey, I, 502.
Speculations as to position with regard to, II, 223, 233, 237.
Cape Flora, geological investigations, II, 476.
Nathorst, Professor, report on, II, 484.
Cape Lapteff, I, 171 (Note).
Cape Lofley, speculations as to position with regard to, II, 334, 396,
428, 429.
Cape M'Clintock, basalt rocks, II, 430, 478.
Cape Richthofen, II, 439 (Note).
Reached by Jackson, II, 464 (Note).
\
Index. 645
Card-playing on board the Frani, I, 324, 447.
Carex ocsicaria, boots lined with, on Sledge Journey, II, 95.
"Castle" Rock, II, 430-
Cephalotaxus Fortunei, II, 485.
Chart-room, used as kitchen in summer, I, 455.
Chatanga River —
F?-ani passes north of, I, 197.
Land lying between the Chatanga and the Anabara, I, 198.
Child, Mr., member of Jackson-Harmsworth Expedition, II, 464.
Sails on the Wmdward, II, 499.
Christiania Fjord, the Fram enters, on return from Expedition, II, 516.
Christiania Geographical Society, Nansen's address before, idea of Expedi-
tion first propounded in, I, 15.
Christmas festivities, I, 302 ; II, 28, 30, 388.
Christofersen, secretary to Nansen, I, 98,
Leaves the Fra7n at Khabarova, I, 123, 133.
Meets Nansen at Hammerfest on return of Expedition, II, 510.
Cladophlebis, II, 486.
Clay sandstone. Cape Flora, II, 477.
Clement Markham's Foreland, II, 313.
Cleve, Professor, diatoms found in ice-floes off Greenland Coast, examined
by, I, 39.
Clio Borealis, II, 246.
Clothing, I, 352, 369, 371.
Deplorable condition during life in hut, II, 2)73-
Drying clothes on Sledge Journey, II, 121.
Equipment for Sledge Journey, II, 12, 93.
Equipment for southward journey, II, 412, 422.
Cloudberry flower. Tundra, Plains of Asia, I, 113.
Cloudberry, " Polar champagne 83rd degree," II, :^o.
Coal found in clay. Cape Flora, II, 477.
Coal-oil apparatus for range-heating, I, 454, 474.
Coal supply for the Fram, I, 77, 475 ; II, 562.
Cod, Polar, II, 224.
Cold in Arctic Regions, reports exaggerated, I, 352.
Committee of Expedition, I, 56.
Compasses taken on Sledge Expedition, II, 102.
Cooking arrangements —
Fra7n, I, 454, 455, 474-
Hut, II, 369-
Sledge Journey, II, 13, 98.
Southward journey after winter in the hut, II, 421.
Cook's Expedition (1776) through Bering Strait, I, 13.
646 Index.
Coral insects, I, 258.
Crew of the Frani, I, 78.
Courage and cheerfulness, I, 320, 324, 399, 473.
Faith in their leader, I, 461.
Health of, I, 214, 215, 313, 314, 322, 350, 3^5 ; H, 54o.
Meeting with Nansen and Johansen on return of Expedition.
11,630.
Hansen's address to, explaining objects of Sledge Journey north-
wards, II, 8,
News of safe arrival of Nansen and Johansen, II, 627, 628.
Occupations during winter, I, 210, 381.
Return to Norway— meeting with Nansen at Tromso, II, 513.
Crown- Prince Rudolf's Land —
Discovery by Payer, I, 12.
Sighted by Nansen, II, 279, 310.
Speculations as to position with regard to, II, 303, 397.
Crustacese, I, 258, 358 ; II, 246.
Current from Bering Sea to Atlantic Ocean, Nansen's theory as to, I, 16,
327, 394.
Current, Nansen's theory, existence of slow current established, II, 634.
Currents, Hydrographic observation, results, II, 635.
Czekanowskia, II, 486.
D.
Daily life in hut, II, 375, 395.
Daily life on Frain during drift, I, 216.
Danes Island, Andree Expedition stationed on, visited by the Fram, II, 623.
Danish Expedition (Hovgaard's), I, 12.
De Long, letter to Gordon Bennett, I, 13.
Denmark Strait, drift-ice of Siberian origin, I, 24.
Depot of reserve food during life in hut, II, 370, 426.
Depots on ice near the Fram, II, 521, 524, 538, 539, 581.
Things taken on board, II, 550, 595, 596.
Depots on New Siberian Islands established by Baron Von Toll, I, 76.
Diatoms —
Ice- water, containing, I, 250, 437, 441, 443, 445.
Identical species found in ice-floes off" the East Coast of (ireenland
and off" Bering Strait, I, 39.
Dick, A., contributions to Expedition, I, 55, 56, 57.
Index. 647
Dickson, Baron Oscar, electric installation for Expedition, provided by,
1,55-
Dickson's Island, intention to deposit letters on, abandoned, I, 143.
Dogs —
Arrangements for Sledge Expedition, I, 397, 503, 508 ; II, 87.
Close confinement on the Fram^ I, 222.
Drives with, I, 116, 248, 351, 354, 470 ; II, 69, 88, 127.
Food, I, 94, 504; 11,84,87,284.
Harness, I, 118 ; II, 14, 82.
Kennels, I, 463 ; II, 568, 570.
Killed by bears, I, 288.
Killed by their fellows, I, 233, 262, 270.
Killed on Sledge Journey, II, 120, 136, 145, 150, 157, 158, 164, 168,
173, 177, 194, 201, 209, 213, 225, 236, 239, 240, 264, 292.
List of dogs taken on Sledge Journey, II, no.
Number insufficient, II, 137, 139.
Number left on the Fratu when Nansen started on Sledge
Expedition, II, 567.
Paralysis in legs, II, 270.
Pemmican-bags attacked by, II, 162.
Puppies, I, 293, 364,422, 463 ; II, 567, 569, 597-
Accidents to, I, 486, 496 ; II, 6.
Convulsive attacks, I, 378, 417 ; II, 568.
Paralysis, I, 418.
Run on ice, I, 416.
Training, I, 472.
Removal to safe quarters on occasion of great ice-pressure, II,
42, 49.
Return of missing dog, I, 294, 296.
Scent, keenness of, I, 374.
Sufferings on Sledge Journey, II, 125, 158.
Summer quarters, I, 419.
Temper of dogs brought to ship and of dogs born on board,
difference between, II, 571.
Trontheim —
Account of journey with dogs, 1, 124.
Delivers dogs to Dr. Nansen, I, 106, 109.
Use of dogs on previous Expeditions, I, 8.
Von Toll, Baron, provides dogs for Expedition, I, 75.
Dolgoi, unknown islands descried near, I, 103.
Dove Glacier, conjecture as to position of, II, 474.
Drift of the Fram —
Chart made by Hansen, I, 465.
648 Index.
Drift of the Fram — continued —
Conclusions arrived at from scientific observations, II, 632.
Latitude and longitude, statements indicating general course of
drift, 1,396; II, 555i 575-
Measuring, II, 529.
Northward drift, I, 252, 265, 268, 272, 280, 328, 329, 345, 346, 352,
361, 371, 376, 391, 393, 395, 397, 451, 481, 482, 483, 485 ; II, 20,
27, 29, 53, 56, 81, 528, 530, 573, 574.
Open water, the Fram emerges into, II, 621.
Second year's drift (northwards) nearly south of that of first,
H, 574.
Southward drift, I, 231, 251, 262, 269, 325, 346, 361, 362, 364, 366,
370, Til^, 380, 395, 443, 457, 463 ; H, ^7, 65, 69.
Sverdrup's account of drift after Nansen's departure, II, 519.
Temperature for every month during, II, 637.
Thickness of ice under the Fram during drift, I, 406.
Winds, strength influencing, II, 634.
Drift oi Jeannette^ I, 13, 17, 466.
Drift-ice, continuous motion of, II, 633.
Denmark Strait, Siberian origin, I, 24.
Greenland, Siberian origin, I, 39.
Drift, Sledge Journey (Nansen and Johansen), II, 233, 237.
Drift-wood, II, 580, 633.
Nansen's current theory supported by, I, 21.
Drowning, Nansen's narrow escape from, in recovering kayak, II, 445.
Drying clothes on Sledge Journey, II, 94, 121.
Dust collected on ice-surface, microscopic examination of, I, 437.
Dutch Cape, II, 623.
Dutch, early Arctic explorers, I, 6.
E.
Easter Day festivities, II, 145.
Echinus, Torup's Island, II, 308.
Eclipse of the sun, I, 384.
Egeberg, Consul E., contributions to Expedition, I, 55.
Egg -hunting, II, 489.
Eider ducks, I, 199 ; II, 438.
Eightieth degree, festivities on passing, I, 347.
Index. 649
Eighty-second degree, festivities, I, 487.
Eighty-three degrees thirty-four minutes, festivities, II 53,
Eighty-six degrees ten minutes, festivities, II, 142.
Ekersund, the Fram puts in at, I, 87.
Electric light installation, I, 72.
Packed away, II, 562.
Setting up for winter, I, 21 1.
Successful working, I, 254.
Elida precedes the Fram up fjord on return to Christiania, II, 516.
Engine of the Frain^ I, 69.
Amundsen's devotion to, I, 210.
Preparing for work after drift, 1 1, 599.
Repaired at Khabarova,"I, in.
Trial, as compound engine, II, 614.
Water, accumulation in engine-room, II, 539, 576.
English, early Arctic Explorers, I, 6.
English North Pole Expedition, scurvy attack, I, 508.
Equipment —
Frajn^ l? 57-
Sledge Expedition (Nanscn and Johansen), II, 90, 248, 271, 274, 420,
Eva's Island, 11,298.
F.
Farewell to home, I, 82.
Farewell to Norway, I, 98.
Farewell to the Fram on starting on Sledge Expedition, II, 112.
Farsund, I, 87.
Fearnley, Thomas, member of Committee of Expedition, I, 56.
Contribution to Expedition, I, 55.
Feildenia, II, 485.
Ferns, fossil. Cape Flora, II, 486.
Fire —
Petroleum launch on fire, I, 135.
Precautions against, I, 461.
Tent on fire, II, 255.
Finn shoes worn on Sledge Journey, II, 94.
" Komager "-boots substituted for, II, 196.
Mending, II, 162.
650 Index.
P^insko, senncgracs in, II, 95.
Fish-flour, Vage's, used on Sledge Journey, II, 104.
Fisher, H., member of Jackson-Harmsworth Expedition, II, 464, 468.
Returns on Windward, 1 1, 499.
Fisher-folks' interest in Expedition, I, 92.
Fishing between ice-cracks, I, 236.
" Fiskegratin" suppers on Sledge Journey, II, 121.
Flagellata, I, 445.
Flora —
Franz Josef Land, II, 482.
Greenland flora, Siberian vegetable forms contained in, I, 23.
Tundra, Plains of Asia, I, 112.
Flour, steamed, used on Sledge Journey, II, 104.
Food —
Depots on New Siberian Islands, established by Baron von Toll,
I, 76, 77-
Fram equipment, I, 73, 216, 326.
Menus (see that title).
Sledge Journey, I, 504; II, 102, 121, 123, 125.
Daily meals during life in hut, II, 370.
Depot of reserve food near hut, II, 370, 420.
Drying food, II, 259.
Meat and fat diet, no injurious effects felt from, II, 272.
Monotony of diet during life in hut, II, 399.
Rations, II, 133, 211, 214, 217, 245, 246.
Southward journey after winter in hut, food for, II, 421, 442.
Foot-gear, Sledge Expedition, II, 94.
Forge, II, 521, 578.
Forget-me-nots, tundra, Plains of Asia, I, 113.
"Forum," Greely's article on proposed Expedition, I, 49.
Fossils, Cape Flora, II, 476, 479, 482.
Nathorst, Professor, Report on, II, 484.
Foxes, I, 175, 257, 296; II, 155, 157, 159, 370, 381, 414.
Fram —
Awning stretched over, for second winter, I, 475.
Birthday celebrations, I, 254, 491.
Change of quarters after Nansen's departure, II, 523.
Construction and equipment, I, 30, 61.
Cost of, I, 55.
Crew (see that title).
Drift (see that title).
Frozen into the ice (September 23rd), I, 206.
Index. 651
Fram — co?iti?tued —
Ice-pressure, excellent behaviour of ship during, I, 102 ; II, 41, 52, 59.
Blasting the F?'ajn loose from, II, 552, 565, 602 (see also Ice-
pressure).
Leakage, II, 554, 5/6.
Library, I, 72^.
Lightening, II, 562.
Nansen's farewell to, on starting on Sledge Journey, II, 112.
Photograph taken by moonlight, II, 59.
Safe return to Norway, II, 511, 512.
Sailing of the Fnun, Anniversaries, I, 435 ; II, 256.
Skja^vo, the Fra?n anchored at, II, 625.
Spring-cleaning on board, I, 391 ; II, 538.
Sverdrup's account of voyage after Nansen's departure, II, 519.
Thickness of ice under the Fratn during drift, I, 406.
Tromso Harbour entered on return of Expedition, II, 629.
Trontheim's account of ship and crew, I, 129,
Warmth and cosiness of, I, 265, 428.
Warping ahead through ice-floes, II, 613.
Winter on board, I, 209, 216.
"Framsjaa" Newspaper, I, 277, 303, 316.
Franklin Expeditions, Nansen reading, II, 19.
Franz Josef Land —
Expeditions to, I, 12.
Extent of Archipelago, speculation as to, II, 481.
Fram, half-way between New Siberian Islands and Franz Josef
Land, I, 489.
Fram reaching point north of, speculation as to possibility of,
I, 457, 466, 502.
Geological investigations, II, 476, 484.
Map, Nansen's, II, 473, 474-
Position with regard to, Nansen's conjectures, I, 370 ; II, 237, 297,
303, 396, 442, 445, 453, 459.
West Coast reached by Nansen and Johansen, II, 307, 312.
Wintering on, II, 334.
Frederick Jackson Island," name given to land on which Nansen and
Johansen wintered, II, 476.
Freeden Island, II (Note, 298), 474.
Fucus, Torup's Island, II, 308.
Fuel, petroleum, used for Sledge Expedition, II, loi.
Fulmars, I, 414 ; II, 196, 244, 271, 295, 349, 414, 437, 531, 547, 607.
Future Expedition, Nansen on possibilities of, II, 635.
652 Index.
Gadus Polaris, II, 224.
Geelmuyden Island, II, 324.
Geelmuyden, Professor, supervisio.! of astronomical instruments for Expedi-
tion undertaken by, I, 75.
Geese, I, 145, H7 ; H, 335, 435, 438.
Geographical Society, London —
Contributions to Expedition, I, 55, 57.
Nansen's lecture before, I (Note, 32), 41, 467.
Geographical Society, Norwegian, contributions to Expedition, I, 56, 57.
Gillis Land —
Proposed Sledge Expedition, I, 506.
Speculation as to position with regard to, II, 397, 427, 428.
Gingkos, II, 485, 486.
Glacier, rumblings in, II, 392 (Note, 393).
Glaucus gulls, II, 349.
Gloves used on Sledge Journey, II, 96.
Golden plovers, I, 140.
Goose Island, II, 435, 478.
Goose Land, Novaya Zemlya, failure to land at, I, 99.
Greely Expedition (1881-84), highest latitude reached previous to Nansen's
Expedition, I, 11.
Greely, General, articles on Nansen's proposed Expedition, I, 49, 52.
Greenland —
Drifts on coast, conclusions drawn fronij II, 632, 633.
Flora, Siberian vegetable forms included in, I, 23.
Sea route between Greenland and Spitzbergen, I, 11.
Greenland shark, II, 548.
Greenland whale, II, 482.
Guillemots, I, 202, 414 ; II, 199, 244, 410, 612, 632.
Gulf Stream, temperature of Polar Sea affected by, II, 634.
Gulls, I, 414; II, 206, 222, 340, 349, 547.
Glaucus, II, 308.
Ivory, II, 205, 212, 217, 230, 260, 271, 284, 295, 304, 326, 331, 414.
Ross's, I, 414 ; II, 270, 272, 282, 283, 295.
Silver, II, 238.
Guns taken on Sledge Expedition, II, 102, 425.
Index. 653
H.
Haalogoland, II, 513.
Hagensen, Johan, pilot oi Fram from Bergen to Vardo, I, 88.
Hagerup, Secretary, Nansen's telegram to, on return of Expedition, II, 505.
Hammerfest, Nansen and Johansen arrive at, II, 508.
Hansen, S. S., member of Expedition, I, 78.
Bear encounter, I, 226, 246.
Chart of drift, I, 465.
Christmas presents, I, 303.
Frozen toes, II, 523.
Hut, building, II, 577.
Kayak adventure, I, 447.
Map of route, II, 68.
Meteorological observations conducted by, I, 214.
Snow-hut for observations built by, II, 15.
Tabular form for observations on Sledge Expeditions, prepared by
II, 14.
Harelda Glacialis, I, 112.
Harold Hardrade, Arctic Voyage recorded of, I, 5.
Harp seals, II, 318.
" Harper's Weekly," Greely's article on Expedition, I, 52.
Hats, felt, worn on Sledge Journey, II, 96.
Hauling harness, II, 240.
Hawk Island, I, 135.
Hayward, member of Jackson- Harmsworth Expedition, II, 469.
Head covering, worn on Sledge Journey, II, 96.
Head shaving on board the Frani, II, 540.
Health of crew (see title Crew).
Heiberg, Axel, contributions to Expedition, 1, 55, 56, 57.
Helland's Foreland, II, 317, 319.
Henriksen, Peter Leonard, member of Expedition, I, 80.
Bet with Juell as to thickness of ice under the Frani^ I, 406,
Expedition up Yugor Strait, I, in.
Spitzbergen stories, I, 338.
Wish to join Nansen on Sledge Journey, II, 113.
Herlo Fjord, I, 90.
Herring gull, I, 414-
Hestemanden, I, 94.
Hoffmann Island, speculation as to position, II, 474.
Hollaendernasset, II, 623.
Homeward march begun, Sledge Journey, II, 142.
654 Index.
Homeward voyage on the Wln.icu.ird^ 11, 499.
Hoods worn on Sledge Journey, H, 97.
Hooker Island, H, 442, 459.
Hooker, Sir Joseph, adverse opinion on proposed Expedition, I, 47.
Houen, Anton, contribution to Expedition, I, 55.
Houcn's Island, II, 306.
Hovgar.rd Expedition, I, 12.
Hovland, pilot from Christiania to Bergen, I, 88.
Hudson, Henry, Expedition (1607) by sea-route between Greenland and
Spitzbergen, I, 1 1.
Hummerdus, I, 87.
Hummocks, highest climbed, II, 185.
Hut for scientific observations, II, 577.
Hut, Jackson's, 466.
Hut, wintering in —
Building hut, II, 332, 336, 351, 353, 361, 369.
Cooking arrangements, II, 369, 375.
Daily life, II, 373, 395, 403.
Departure on southward journey, II, 426.
Depot of reserve food, II, 370, 420.
Frederick Jackson's Island, name given to land on which hut was
built, II, 476.
Report left in hut, II, 426.
Sleeping shelf, II, 369, 374.
Speculations as to position, II, 396.
Temperature in hut, II, 375.
Hvidtenland, II, 298, 397, 474.
Hydrographic equipment for Expedition, I, 75.
Hydrographic observations, results, II, 634.
Ice-
First meeting with, I, 100.
Hummock, highest climbed, II, 185.
Impracticability for Sledge Expedition, Nansen's consideration on
possibility of, I, 507.
Lanes in, I, 403 ; II, 152, 179, 182, 187, 197.
Organisms contained in, I, 250, 436, 445.
Rate of formation, I, 264, 357, 404,
Roughness of surface during late spring weather, I, 398.
Index. 655
I ce — cojitimied--
Rubble-ice, II, 140.
Sea-ice only encountered, except under land, II, 153 (Note).
Shore-ice, II, 297.
Siberia, ice-drift from, II, 117, 156, 633.
Stratified formation, I, 360.
Temperature, I, 408.
Thickness of ice under the Frani during drift, I, 406.
Thirst quenched by sucking ice, II, 127 (Note).
Water for cooking, better than snow, II, 195.
White reflection from, I, 136.
Winds strongly influencing ice-drift, II, 634.
Ice-blasting, I, 302 ; II, 552, 586, 602.
Ice-foot, II, 452 (Note).
Ice-gull, II, 531.
Ice-mews, I, 414.
Ice-pressure, I, 233, 235, 237, 238, 239, 252, 264, 268, 273, 311, 328, 340, 356,
367 ; II, 25, 32, 3Z. 36, 58, 59, 520, 526, 528, 549, 563, 564, 573,
583, 613.
Blasting, II, 552, 564.
Fnuu freed from, II, 621.
Preparations for abandonment of the Frani on occasion of severe
ice-pressure, II, 41.
Removal of high pressure-ridge, II, 522.
Icebergs, II, 298, 305.
Infusoria found in ice-water, I, 445.
Inglefield, Sir E., favourable view of proposed expedition, I, 46.
Instruments for scientific observations —
Frani equipment, I, T}^.
Sledge Expedition, II, 102.
lovenskiold, C, contribution to Expedition, I, 55.
Ivory gulls, II, 205, 212, 217, 230, 260, 271, 284, 295, 304, 326, 331, 41 4-
J.
Jackson, F. —
Aid given to Nansen in preparation of maps and plans, II, 473.
Cape Richthofen, most northerly point reached by, II, 439.
Hut, 11,466.
Nansen's meeting with, II, 456.
656 Index.
Jackson's Map —
" King Oscar Land," error in position on, II, 326 (Note).
Used by Nansen in preparing his sketch-map of Franz Josef
Land, 11,474-
Jackson-Harmsworth Expedition, I, 12.
Nansen's meeting with, II, 456.
Jacobsen, T. C.,mate of the Fram, I, 79.
Reindeer stalking, 1, 146.
Sledge building for northward expedition, II, 62.
Jarlsberg, Baron Harald Wedel, contribution to Expedition, I, 55.
Jcaiincite Expedition (1879-81) —
Drift, I, 13, 17, 466.
Frani's drift compared with, I, 466.
Ice-water, distilling before drinking, unnecessary trouble, II, 195.
Scurvy, immunity from, I, 509.
Johansen, F. H., member of Expedition, I, 80.
Bandaging lessons in preparation for Sledge Journey, II, 60.
Bear attack, narrow escape, II, 285.
Birthday feast, II, 177.
Chosen as Nansen's companion on Sledge Journey, II, 2, 7.
Kayak building, II, 10.
Meteorological observations, I, 214, 322.
Journals —
Difficulty of writing during life in hut, II, 376.
Duplicate carried by Nansen on Sledge Expedition, II, 14.
Juell, A., steward and cook of the Fram, I, 79. ?
Bet with Peter as to thickness of ice under the Fnim, I, 406.
Dog-tailor, II, 14.
Julianehaab, drift from wreck oi\hQ. Jeannctte discovered near, I, 17.
Kamenni Islands, I, 144.
Kane's Expedition, inadequate preparations, I, 312.
Kara River, I, 136.
Kara Sea—
Frajii sails into, I, 136.
View of, from Siberian coast, I. 114. .
Karl Alexander Land, II, 476. '
Index. 657
Kayaks —
Bags stuffed with pemmican placed under, II, 68, 70.
Building, I, 442, 446, 451, 453 ; II, 10, 11, 90, 559.
Crossing ice-lanes, II (Note, 116), 286.
Drifting, Nansen nearly drowned in recovering, II, 445.
Food, arrangement in, II, 133.
Hansen's adventure in, I, 447.
Preparing for Sledge Journey after winter in hut, II, 422.
Rate of progress, II, 300.
Repairing, II, 161, 207, 209, 214, 215, 216, 263, 271, 422.
Sledges to be abandoned for, II, 245, 292.
Kelch, Nikolai, contribution to Expedition, I, 76.
Khabarova —
Churches, I, 107.
Festival of St, Elias, I, 119.
Fram puts in at, I, 104.
Russian traders, I, 128.
Trontheim's meeting with Nansen, I, 106.
King Halfda7i tows the Fram into Tromso harbour, II, 629.
King of Norway —
Contribution to Expedition, I, 54.
Medal presented to Trontheim, I, 132.
King Oscar's Bay, I, 192.
King Oscar's Land —
Extent probably not great, II, 481.
Jackson's Map, error as to position, II, 326.
Speculation as to position with regard to, II, 397.
Kinn, I, 90.
Kitchen, chart-room used as, in summer, I, 455.
Kittiwakes, I, 414 ; II, 295 350, 438, 531, 612.
Kjellman's Island —
Fram anchors at, I, 146.
Unknown lands near, I, 145.
Kjollefjord, the Fram puts in at, I, 95.
Kjosterad, A. S., Contribution to Expedition, I, 55.
Knipa Sound, I, 166.
Knudtzon, Consul N. H., Contribution to Expedition,^I, 55.
Koetlitz, D., member of Jackson-Harmsworth Expedition, I, 464, 476.
Koldewey Expedition (1869-70), I, 11.
" Komager "-boots worn on Sledge Journey, II, 95, 196, 423.
Repairing, II, 423.
" Kongespeilet," Folar ice described in, I, 5.
Kopepodae, I, 236.
VOL. 11. 2 U
6s8 Index.
Kotelnoi, I, 200.
Kryloff, account of Trontheim's journey with dog^s, written by, I, 24.
Kvaenangan Fjord, 11,625.
Kvarvan, I, 88.
L.
Laminaria, II, 308.
Lamps —
Fire caused by explosion, 255.
"Primus," cooking with, on Sledge Expedition, II, 99.
Train-oil, II, 305, 368, 375.
Land —
Frames first sight of, on homeward voyage, II 623.
Sledge journey, Nansen's first sight of, 1,277.
Lanes in ice, kayaks or sledges crossing, II, 285.
Langoia, unknown Islands descried near, I, 103.
Lapteff, I, 185.
Larus Argentatus, II, 206, 230, 238.
Larus Eburneus, I, 414 ; II, 260, 414.
Larus Glaucus, 11,414.
Larus Tridactylus, II, 531.
Latitude and longitude : statements showing drift of the F?'ani I, 396 ;
n, 555, 575-
Leigh-Smith —
Franz Josef Land visited by, I, 12.
Nansen's speculations as to position with regard to Leigh-Smith's
quarters, II, 317,452-
Length of voyage, speculations as to, I, 449, 465.
Lestris Parasiticus, I, 145, 414 ; II, 579.
Library on board the Frain^ I, 'j'^.
Lister Fjord, the Fram puts in at, I, 87.
Little auks, II, 222, 244, 262, 308, 312, 320, 351, 403, 404, 410, 414, 438, 532,
547,607,612.
Liv's birthday, II, 59, 393.
"Liv's Island," II, 298.
Lobscouse supper?, II, 121.
Lockwood, highest latitude reached by, previous to Nansen Expedition,
I, II.
Lofoten, I, 94.
Log-line for measuring drift, II, 529.
Index. 659
Longboat, preparing for emergencies, II, 539, 562.
Long-tailed ducks, I, 112, 140.
"Longing Camp," II, 272.
Farewell to, II, 273.
Iceberg or land sighted from, II, 265, 276.
Loon, Yalmal, I, 137.
"Lovunden" hummock, II, 525.
Lovunen, I, 94.
Lumbago, sufferings from, II, 280, 282.
Lytzen, Mr., discovery at Julianehaab of drift from i\iQ Jeaftneiie^ I, 17, 18.
M.
Mack, Advocate, contribution to Expedition, I, 94.
M'Clintock Expedition —
Arrangement, good, II, 19.
Scurvy, immunity from, I, 508.
Sledge Journey, I, 8.
M'Clintock, Sir Leopold, adverse opinion of proposed Expedition, I, 41.
Magero, I, 95.
Magnetic constant, Hansen's observations, I, 214.
Magnetic equipment carried by the Frain, I, 74.
Supervised by Neumeyer, I, 75.
Magnetic needle, singular inclination of, II, 15.
Mangerland, I, 90.
Markham, Albert —
High latitude reached by, I, 10.
Sledge Journeys, I, 8, 10, 507.
Markham Sound, speculation as to position with regard to, II, 142.
Mary Elizabeth Island, II, 435 (Note).
Matches, precautions against fire, I, 462.
May 17th, celebrations, I, 423 ; II, 185, 541, 508.
Meat—
Fresh, remarkable preservation, I, 432.
Preparations taken on Sledge Journey, II, 103.
Meat-chocolate, afternoon refreshment on Sledge Journey, 11^ 12S.
Medicine-chest, I, 94.
Sledge Journey equipment, II, 105.
Store in long-boat, contents uninjured, II, 559.
2 U 2
66o Index.
Medusas, I, 258.
Members of Expedition (see Crew of the Frani).
Menus, feast-days, I, 224, 307, 3i9» 347, 423, 426, 478, 488 ; II, 20,'3o, 142,
146, 177, 185, 279, 388.
Menus, ordinary days, I, 350.
Mergulus Alle, II, 222, 403.
Meteorological observations —
Huts built for, II, 15, 577.
Instruments carried by Fram, I, 74, 75.
Instruments carried on Sledge Journey, II, 102.
Method of conducting, I, 214, 322.
Microscopical research, Nansen's absorption in, I, 443, 445, 497.
Midsummer Eve, I, 431, 434 ; II, 256.
Mittens used on Sledge Journey, II, 96.
Mogstad, Otto Irgens, member of Expedition, I, 80.
Kayak and sledge-building, II, 10, 58, 62.
Mohn, Professor —
Lecture on drift from th^Jeanneite, I, 18.
Meteorological instruments for Expedition supervised by, I, 75.
Nansen's Expedition and theories approved of, I, 40.
Nansen's meeting with, on return, II, 506.
Moltke Moe, farewell telegram, I, 308.
Moons, remarkable, I, 254, 256, 257, 267, 299 ; II, 24, 46, 58.
Mountain poppies, tundra, Plains of Asia, I, 112.
Mud on ice surface, organisms contained in, I, 258, 438.
Multer, II, 30.
Murray's silk net, fishing with, I, 236.
Musical instruments on Frajn, I, 130.
N.
Nares' Expedition (1875-76) by Smith Sound Route, I, 10.
Nares, Sir George —
Adverse opinion on proposed Expedition, I, 42.
Letter of congratulation to Nansen, I, 45 (Note).
Narwhals, II, 182, 184, 198, 212, 546, 547, 579.
Nathorst, Professor, report on vegetable fossils found near Cape Flora, II,
484.
*' Naturen " map, Nansen's conjectures apparently verified by the Fi'avi's
drift, I, 467.
Index. 66 1
Naze, storm off, I, 85.
Neumayer, Dr., magnetic equipment superintended by, 1,75.
"New Lands within Arctic Circle," quotation from, II, 475.
New Siberian Islands —
P'ood depots established on, I, 76 (Note, ']']).
" Jeannette" Expedition, II, 14, 28.
Russian Expeditions, II, 8.
New Year's Day, I, 316 ; II, 35, 392, 582.
Nicolaysen's Plaster used for caulking kayaks, II, 106.
Night in Arctic Regions, I, 220, 383, 482, 489.
Norbeck, engine of the Fram constructed by, I, 69.
Nordahl, Bernhard, member of Expedition, I, 80,
Assistant in meteorological observations, I, 214.
Hut-building, 11^ 577.
Nordenfjeldske Steamship Co., of Trondhjem; pilots for Expedition supplied
by, I, 88.
Nordenskiold's Map-
Islands marked on, not seen by Nansen's Expedition, 1, 145.
Nansen's remarks on, I, 169, 170, 171, 173, 175, 177, 178,
181, 189.
Nordstjernen precedes the Fram up fjord to Chrisiiania, II, 516.
" Norsk Tidsskript for Sovaessen," Colin Archer's Article in, I, 60.
Norsksundet, II, 623.
North Cape, I, 95.
North-East Island, proposed Sledge Expedition, I, 506.
North-East Land —
Basalt rocks, II, 477.
Speculations as to position with regard to, II, 397, 398.
North-East Passage, Weyprecht and Payer's Expedition, I, 12.
Northbrook Island, II, 442 (Note).
Basalt rocks, II, 478.
Change in sea-level, II, 481.
Speculations as to position with regard to, II, 459.
Northernmost point reached, II, 142.
Norway —
Farewell to, I, 98.
First sight of, from Frani^ on homeward voyage, II, 625.
First sight of, from Windward^ on homeward voyage, II, 502.
Norwegian Geographical Society's Year-Book —
Nansen's conjectures, I, 467 (Note).
Norwegian Government —
Contributions to Expedition, I, 54, 56.
Telegram to, on return, II, 505.
C62 Index.
Norwegian Sound, II, 623.
Novaya Zemlya —
Goose Land, sighted by the Fnim, I, 99.
Proposed Sledge Expedition, I, 506.
Windward s'.^trs ior^ II, 501.
O.
Odometer carried on Sledge Expedition, II (Note, 81), 116, 117.
Onychiopsis, II, 487.
Open water, the Fram enters, after drift, II, 620.
Otarza, Nansen sails up Norwegian coast on, II, 508, 513.
Othar, voyage round the North Cape, I, 4.
P.
Painting kayaks, difficulties of, II, 263.
Papaver Nudicaule, I, 112 ; II, 305.
Parry's Expedition —
Arrangement good, II, 19.
Boats and sledges first used on, I, 9.
Payer —
Expedition, I, 12 ; II, 63, 205, 298.
Map, II, 474, 48o.
" New Lands within Arctic Circle," quotation frcm, II, 475.
Peary Expedition —
Scurvy, immunity from, I, 509.
Sledge Journeys, I, 9.
Pemmican —
Bags of, placed under kayaks, II, 68, 70.
Supply for Sledge Expedition, unsatisfactory, II, 103 (Note).
Peppervik —
Fram sails from, I, 83.
Welcome on return of the Fram^ II, 516.
Peter Head, II, 443 (Note).
Petermann's Land —
Discovery by Payer, I, 12.
Extent, probably not great, II, 480.
Index. 663
Petermann's Land — coiituiued—
Speculations as to position with regard to, II, 19^.
" Petermann's Mitteilungen," article on proposed Txpcdition, I, cj;
Petrified wood, Cape Flora, II, 477.
Petroleum fuel used on Sledge Journey, II, lor.
Petroleum launch —
Accident to, I, 115, 135, 142.
Destruction of, II, 88, 559.
Petroleum store, I, 474 ; II, loi, 174, 305.
Pettersen, Lars, member of the Expedition, I, 79.
Cooking undertaken by, II, 578.
Dancing powers, II, 23, 30.
Nail-making, 11,62.
Shooting practice, II, 547.
Sledge Expedition, willingness to join, I, 451, 459.
Stove explosion, I, 456.
Phoca Barbata, I, 173 ; II, 247, 250, 547.
Phoca Foetida, I, 07 ; II, 201.
Phoca Groenlandica, II, 318.
Phosphorescent water, I, 236.
Photographic camera taken on Sledge Expedition, II, 102.
Pine-tree, vegetable fossils. Cape Flora, II, 484.
Polar cod, II, 224.
Polar Sea, depth of, I, 327, 410 ; II, 535, 557, 563, 594, 631, 634.
Pole, shifting of, conjectures as to, I, 426.
Pools on ice-floes, I, 401.
Poppies, I, 112 ; II, 305.
Preparations for Expedition, I, 54.
Preparations for Sledge Expedition. (See Sledge Journeys.)
Preparations for southward journey after winter in hut, II, 420
" Primus" lamp for cooking, taken on Sledge Expedition, II, 99.
Procellaria Glacialis, I, 414 ; II, 196, 414, 437.
Ptarmigan, I, 140.
Pterepoda, II, 246.
Pulverised Food taken on Sledge Expedition, II, 103.
Puppies (see title " Dogs ").
R.
Radostethia Rosea, I, 414 ; II, 270.
Ra^kvik, the Frani takes up her long-boats at, I, 84.
664 Index.
Rainfall, I, 26 ; II, 215, 266, 281, 565.
Range, coal-oil apparatus for heating, I, 454, 474.
Rawlinson's Sound, II, 304.
Red Bay, 11,623.
Red Snow, II, 308, 321.
Reindeer, I, 138, 146, 181, 187.
Reports —
Nansen's, deposited in hut, II, 426.
Sverdrup's, of the Fram's drift after departure of Nansen and
Johansen, II, 519.
Rheumatism, Nansen suffering from, I, 250 ; II, 394.
Richards, Sir G. H., adverse opinion on proposed Expedition, I, 46.
Richardson Expedition, well arranged, II, 19.
Rifle, loss of, I, 179.
Ringed seals, II, 200, 201.
Ringnes, EUef, Member of Committee of Expedition, I, 56.
Ringnes, T., and Co., contribution to Expedition, I, 55.
Rink, Dr., drift-timber found on Greenland Coast presented to, I, 21.
Rissi Tridactyla, I, 414.
Rope- walk on ice, I, 210, 408.
Ross Expedition, arrangements good, II, 19.
Ross's gulls, I, 414 ; II, 270, 272, 282, 283, 295, 297, 398.
Royal Geographical Society, London. (See " Geographical Society.")
Rubble ice, II, 140.
Russian expeditions, sledges first used on, I, 8.
Russian traders, Khabarova, I, 105, 128.
Saddleback seals, II, 318.
Sailing on fresh- water pools, I, 402,
Sails for sledges, II, 71,
Saint Peter and Saint Paul Islands, failing to see, I, 194.
Sand-hoppers, I, 222.
Sandpipers, II, 214.
Sannikoff Land, I, 203.
Saxifrage, I, 112 ; II, 305.
Schist, argillaceous, Helland's Foreland, II, 320.
Schou Halve, contributor to Expedition, I, 55.
Scientific observations made on Expedition, separate publication necessary,
11,631.
Index. 665
Scott- Hansen (see Hansen).
Scurvy, immunity from, I, 508 ; H, 103, 403.
Sea-slugs, I, 258.
Sea-urchins, H, 307.
Sea-weed, Torup's Island, II, 308.
Seals, I, 173, 175, 181, 207 ; II, i99, 2ci, 212, 247, 249, 250, 257, 259, 292,
295, 309, 314, 318, 530, 547, 606.
Sennegraes, boots lined with on Sledge Journey, II, 95.
Seven Islands, proposed journey to, over ice, I, 504.
Seven Sisters, 1, 94.
Sextant carried on Sledge Expedition, II, 102.
Sharks, II, 548.
Shellfish, I, 258.
Shoes used on Sledge Expedition, II, 94, 162.
Shooting competition, I, 448.
Shooting-stars, I, 257 ; II, 383.
Shrimps vomited by Arctic Rose-gull, J, 415.
Siberia, sledge first used for Arctic Explorations, I, 8.
Siberian drift-wood, I, 22 ; II, 580, 633.
Sibiriakofif Colony, Khabarova, I, 105.
Trontheim's account of life in, I, 129.
Silver gull, II, 23S.
Simon, H., contribution to Expedition, I, 57.
Skjgervo, the Fram anchors at on return from Expedition, II, 625.
Skuas, I, 414 ; II, 326, 350, 579, 607, 612.
Sledge Journey (Nansen's and Johansen's) —
Ash-sledges, II, 68.
Birch-sledge broken up, II, 175.
Cross-bars and bows snapping at start, return for repairs, II, 79.
Curtailing sledges, II, 302.
Dogs, list of, II, no (see also title " Dogs").
Equipment, I, 503 ; II, 90, 271, 274.
Food (see that title)
Grips for sledges, II, 248, 263.
Hand-sledges, II, 12.
Hauling-harness, I, 240.
Health good during, II, 216.
Homeward journey begun, II, 142.
Hut (see that title).
Johansen chosen as companion, II, 2, 7.
Kayaks (see that title).
Lanes, method of crossing, II, 285.
Maple-guards under sledges, II, 67, 183.
666 Index.
Sledge Journey — continued —
Northernmost point reached, II, 142.
Packing sledges on kayaks, II, 292.
Pattern of sledge used, II, 92.
Preparations for journey, I, 376, 397, 416, 442, 453, 457, 467, 469,
470, 500 ; II, I, 14, 58, 59, 60, 67, 80.
Rate of travelling, II, 113, 114, 116, 118, 119, 137, 139, 140, 144,
145, 146, 149, 151, 154, 156, 164, 173, 174, 183, 186, 187, 191,
200, 225, 228, 233.
Sails used on, II, 71, 118.
Sleeping-bag (see that title).
Stait, II, 78, 81, 83, 88, 112.
Sverdrup left in charge of ship, II, i, ']% 88.
Temperature of every month, table showing, II, 518.
Sledge journey. Payer's, 1 1, 63.
Sledge journey southward, Sverdrup's preparation for in case of abandon-
ment of ship, II, 524, 559, 580.
Sleep, time passed in, during life in hut, II, 402.
Sleeping-bag, II, 14, 70, 97, 122, 123, 131, 271, 274, 374, 413, 424.
Sleeping-shelf in hut, II, 369, 374.
Sleeplessness, complaints of, I, 315.
Smith Sound route, Expedition by, I, 10.
Smoking on board, regulations, I, 462.
Snails, II, 308.
Sneerenburg Bay, II, 625.
Snipe, I, 137, 203.
Snow, red, II, 308, 321.
Snow-blindness, cases of, I, 430.
Snow-buntings, II, 188, 414, 531, 595.
Snow-owls, I, 114.
Snowshoe practice, I, 467, 470, 499 ; II, 525.
Snowshoes —
Hut roof supported by, II, 334.
Kayaks stiffened with, II, 294.
Indian snowshoes probably best for sledge expeditions, II, 174.
Making, II, 65, 524.
Paddles made of, II, 294.
Taken on sledge expeditions, II, loi.
Socks worn on Sledge Journey, II, 94, 96.
Sokolii, I, 135.
Sostrene^ the Fra?n meets, on sailing into open waters, II, 622.
Sounding-line, cable converted into, I, 409.
Southward journey after winter in hut, II, 420.
Index. 667
Spadella, I, 236.
Spaerella Nivalis, snow coloured by, II, 308 (Note).
Spitzbergen —
Basalt locks, II, 477.
Development of, news brought by the IVrndward, II, 496.
Flora, II, 487.
Ice-free waters, I, 4.
Peter's stories, I, 338.
Speculation as to position with regard to, II, 237, 397, 442, 453.
Sponges, I, 258.
Star-fish, I, 258.
Steinen Island, II, 327.
Stellaria, II, 305.
Stercorarius crepidata, II, 350.
Stocking-legs or socks worn on Sledge Expedition, II, 94.
Strand-ice, II, 346.
Subscriptions to Expedition, I, 54, 56.
Summer day, mildness of, I, 429, 446.
Sun —
Disappearance of, I, 256, 458 ; II, 579.
Eclipse, I, 384.
Mirage, I, 353.
Reappearance, II, 64, 86, 594.
Sundt, E,, contribution to Expedition, I, 55.
Supan, Professor, favourable view of proposed Expedition, I, 53.
Sverdrup, Otto Neumann, Commander of the Fram, I, 78, 94.
Bags for kayaks made by, II, 68.
Birthday celebration, I, 258,
Command of Expedition handed over to, on Nansen's departure on
Sledge Journey, II, 7;^, 88, 519.
Expedition up Yugor Strait, I, in.
Illness, II, 18, 24.
Island discovered by, I, 142.
Kayak-building, II, 10.
Reindeer stalking, I, 152.
Report of drifting of the Fram after departure of Nansen, II, 519.
Sledge Journey, talking over with Nansen, I, 500; II, i.
Steamship sailing to Spitzbergen, commanded by, II, 497 (Note).
Telegram to Nansen, on arrival of the Fram, II, 511.
Sverdrup's Island, I, 142.
668 Index.
T.
Taimur Bay, I, 185.
Taimur Island, I, 169, 170, 171, 1 73) 185.
Taimur Strait, I, 170, 178.
Taxites, II, 485.
Tegethoff Expedition, I, 10, 14.
Telescope taken on Sledge Journey, II, 102.
Temperature of ice, I, 408.
Temperature statements, I, 412 ; II, 518, 576, 586, 637, 638.
Polar Seas warmer than hitherto supposed ; conclusion arrived at
from hydrographic observat'o.is, II, 63^;.
Tent taken on Sledge Expedition, II, 13, 69.
Fire caused by lamp explosion, II, 255.
Hut roofed with, II, 333.
Substitute for, II, 424.
Terns, II, 295.
Theodolite taken on Sledge Expedition, II, 102.
Thermometer taken on Sledge Expedition, II, 102, 372.
Thornoe —
Electric apparatus constructed by, I, 75.
Hydrographic department, superintended by, I, 75.
Threads, procured from twine and unravelling of bags, II, 404.
Thyrsopteris, II, 487.
Tidal wave, ice-pressure probably influenced by, I, 239.
" Tobolsk Official Newspaper," Trontheim's account of journey with dogs,
I, 124.
Tools used in building hut, II, 351.
Torellia, II, 485.
Torgersen, Johan, dogs for Expedition to be delivered by, I, 76.
Torghatten, I, 94.
Tornebohm, Dr., analysis of mud deposit on drift-ice, I, 39.
Torup, Professor, physiological medicinal preparations undertaken by, I, 75.
Torup's Island, II, 307.
Traenen, I, 94.
Tromso —
Fram's outward voyage, I, 94.
Fram's return, II, 512, 629.
Trondhjem, I, 94.
Trontheim, Alexander Ivanovitch, I, 76.
Account of journey with dogs, given in Tobolsk Official Newspaper,
I, 124.
Index. 669
Tronthcim, Alexander Ivanoyhch—con/inue^—
Medal presented to, I, 122, 132.
Nansen's meeting with, at Khabarova, I, 104.
Sails for Vardo in Urania, I, 133.
Tundra, Plains of Asia, I, 112, 126.
U.
Ulfstinden, King Half dan meets the Fram off, II, 629.
Unknown lands, I, 142, 145, 166, 167, 172 ; II, 298, 440.
Nansen's farewell instructions to Sverdrup on importance
exploring, II, 89.
Urania —
Coal supply to be conveyed to Khabarova by, I, 77.
Delay in arrival, I, 107, 122, 133.
Trontheim and Christofersen sail in her for Vardo, I, 133.
Uria Briinnichii, II, 244.
Uriagr>lle, I, 144; H, 199, 4 10.
" Vadmel" squares used on Sledge Journey, II, 96.
Vagen, Frani touches at, lecture and banquet, I, %Z.
Vages' fish-flour used on Sledge Expedition, II, 104.
Vaigatch Island, I, 104.
Valkyrie precedes the Fram up fjord, on return to Chrlstiania, II, 516.
Vardo —
Bath, 96.
Christofersen and Trontheim return to, I, 133.
Fram puts in at, banquet, ball, and farewells, I, 96, 98.
Wi7idward x^Xmxv^s to, II, 502, 504.
Venus, first appearance above horizon, I, 328.
Vesteraalen Company, steamboat service to Spitzbergen, II, 496.
Vikings, first Arctic Voyagers, I, 3.
Virgo^ steamship of Andree Expedition, II, 623.
Von Toll, Baron —
Dogs for Expedition provided by, I, 75.
Provision depots on New Siberian Islands, I, 76.
670 Index.
w.
Walruses, I, 173, 194, 336; II, 299, 301, 314, 329, 335, 336, 346, 348, 349,
353, 361, 362, 364, 432, 433, 436, 437, 45°, 453-
Wardroper, Mr., help in promising dogs for Expedition, I, 76.
Watches run down, II, 145, 146, 147.
Comparison with Jackson's chronometer, II, 473.
Water-samples, examination of, I, 263.
Waving star-fish, I, 258.
Wedding-day anniversaries, I, 183, 457.
Weight of members of Expedition —
Decrease, I, 540.
Increase, I, 350, 468, 613.
Weyprecht and Payer Expedition (1872-74), I, 12.
Whales, II, 198, 348, 482, 546, 606 (see also " Narwhals").
Wharton, Captain, favourable view of proposed Expedition, I, 46.
Whey-powder and water, beverage on Sledge Journey, II, 123.
White Island, I, 141.
White Land (see " Hvidtenland ").
Whitsuntide, II, 207, 538.
Wilczek Land —
Extent probiibly not great, II, 481.
Probability of open water along coast, II, 195.
Speculations with regard to, I, 233, 474, 475.
Willow-grouse, I, 188.
Wilton, Mr., member of Jackson-Harmsworlh Expedition, II, 496.
Wind-
Current influenced by, Hansen's theory, I, 29.
Drift strongly in^uenced by, II, 634.
Temperature raised by, I, 332.
Wind-clothes, I, 371 ; H, 94, 373-
Windmill for electric light dynamo, I, 2ir, 254.
Accidents, I, 480, 487.
Amundsen repairing, II, 62, 67.
Taken down, II, 532.
Windward —
Arrival of, II, 490, 495.
Homeward voyage in, II, 499.
Winter on board the Fram —
Account of day during, I, 216.
Preparations for, I, 209.
Wintering on Franz Josef Land, Nansen and Johansen, II, 334.
Index. 671
Wolf-skin garments, too warm for Sledge Expedition, II, 93.
Work-room, Nansen's, I, 458.
Workshops on board the Frain^ I, 210, 381.
Wounds —
Caused by sticking of clothes to skin during life in hut, II, 400.
Wrist- sores caused by frozen sleeve, II, 121.
Wrangel's h^nd, Jea?tneffe stuck fast near, I, 14, 28.
Y.
Yalmal, landing on, I, 137.
Young, Sir George, adverse opinion on proposed Expedition, I, 45.
Yugor Strait, the Fram enters, I, 103.
Z.
Zachan, Captain, of the Virqo, II, 624.
LONDON :
PRINTED BY HARRIbON AND SONS, ST. MARTIN'S LANE,
PRINTERS IN ORDINARY TO HER MAJESTY.
V
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MAP SHOWING THE
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4nd Nansen's and JOHANSEN'S
Sledge Journey.
S^autica] Ifiles
240 300
.Track of the 'Fram ' in Open Water
.The 'Fram 's ' Drift in the Polar Ice
■Nansen's & Johansen's Sledge Journey
leim Barttiolomew' A Ch
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